CfA: Epistemic Diversity in European Philosophy of Science (Online Seminar Series)

Epistemic diversity, understood broadly as the diversity of ways of approaching the study of a subject matter within an intellectual community, has been a topic of increasing interest for philosophers of science in the last ten-odd years. Building on this, the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA) invites submissions of abstracts for its first-ever online seminar series, dedicated to investigating and promoting the epistemic diversity of European philosophy of science. A central aim of this seminar series will be to showcase historical figures, institutes, schools of thought, or themes that have shaped the discipline of philosophy of science in different regions of Europe and across time. In focusing on these various different ‘European philosophies of science’, EPSA strives to contribute to an increased awareness of intellectual traditions that have been overlooked or forgotten by the international philosophy-of-science community. We are particularly interested in rediscovering traditions rooted in languages and cultures other than English, although we will be using English as a working language.

Topics

Examples of possible topics include, but are not limited to:

1. The historical development of a school of thought, tradition or movement in philosophy of science that is distinctive to a particular region or country in Europe. For example:
  • French historical epistemology,
  • The Munich School of structuralism,
  • The Lvov-Warsaw School in Poland,
  • The Uppsala School in Sweden,
  • The Dutch Significs Circle,
  • The Belgian World Views programme.

2. National or institutional histories related to the development of philosophy of science qua discipline. For example:
  • The installment of ‘classi di abilitazioni’ in Italy,
  • The institutional history of the Amsterdam logic tradition,
  • Reflections on the founding and development of philosophy-of-science journals (e.g. Synthese in the Netherlands, Erkenntnis in Germany, and Theoria in Sweden) or book series (e.g. the Poznań Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities in Poland),
  • The emergence of ‘history and philosophy of science’ departments in Europe.

3. Different national or institutional approaches to the way in which philosophy of science is or has been taught. For example:
  • Philosophy of science being part of ‘theoretical philosophy’ in the Netherlands and Germany,
  • Mandatory philosophy of science courses tailored to non-philosophy students in some European countries (e.g. Denmark),
  • Philosophy of science and logic being taught as one subject in Serbian highschools.

4. One or several historical figures that have been influential in the development of philosophy of science in their corresponding geographical region. For example:
  • The influence of Kazimierz Twardowski and other members of the Lvov-Warsaw School on the development of Polish philosophy of science,
  • Grete Hermann and the development of the philosophy of quantum mechanics and physics education in Germany,
  • The Austrian philosopher Wolfgang Stegmüller and the development of the Munich School of structuralism,
  • Arne Næss and the development of philosophy of science in Norway,
  • Eino Kaila and the development of philosophy of science in Finland,
  • Lembit Valt and the study of the methodology of science in Estonia,
  • E.W. Beth and the study of the logic in the Netherlands,
  • Else M. Barth’s influence on the development of empirical logic in the Netherlands and Norway.

5. In addition to the kinds of topics mentioned above, we also welcome presentations on the more general questions relating to epistemic diversity in the context of European philosophy of science. For example:
  • How does the status of English as the discipline’s lingua franca shape the practice of philosophy of science?
  • What are the benefits and challenges of integrating so-called analytical and continental approaches to philosophy of science?
  • Does a ‘practice perspective’ help bridge the gap between philosophy and the sciences?

How to submit your abstracts


We are currently inviting submissions for the first cour of this seminar series, which will take place on 4th October, 8th November, and 6th December 2024.

Presentations will be between 25 and 30 minutes in length, depending on the number of submissions. Submissions may discuss work-in-progress as well as already published work. In the latter case, please provide a reference to the paper in question.

In order to apply, please submit a 300-word abstract to epsa.seminar@gmail.com, along with your name, position, institutional affiliation, and the dates of availability among the above options. The deadline for submissions is 31st July 2024. In preparing the programme, the organizers will strive for geographical diversity in the countries/regions discussed. However, please note that both the abstract and the presentation are required to be in English. If you are submitting published work in a language other than English, please send the original abstract together with an English translation.