IAPh in Western News

Science and values converge at international conference

By Communications Staff
Friday, June 25, 2010

Over 150 leading scientists, philosophers and feminists are gathering at The University of Western Ontario for the next four days as the International Association of Women Philosophers meets for the first time in Canada, and only its second meeting in North America over its 14 years of assembling.

 

“This conference in about connecting two things – science and values. In some ways, science is galloping ahead of our thinking about science,” says conference organizer Samantha Brennan, who is chair of Western’s Department of Philosophy.

 

“The Association is a group of people that has a strong interest in science, but also believes there is a need to pause to reflect on the values that are connected with the science,” she adds.

 

Topics on the agenda for the four-day conference include race, technological intervention in pregnancy and birth, sex and gender: the military context for sex and gender, and gender and sports.

 

“Feminists have been at the forefront of thinking about the connection between values and science, so it’s no surprise that this is a good venue for these discussions,” says Brennan.

 

Tracy Isaacs, chair of Women's Studies and Feminist Research and member of the Department of Philosophy at Western, concurs.

 

"The most exciting thing about this conference is that it is truly international, with people attending not just from Europe but also from South Asia and South America. We are also pleased with the number of women coming together to take part in this conference,” says Isaacs. “Women are seriously under-represented in the discipline, so it will feel great to be at a philosophy conference where we're not outnumbered.”

 

On Monday (June 28) beginning at 1:30 p.m., keynote closing speaker Nancy Tuana of Penn State University will present “Leading with ethics, aiming for policy: New opportunities for philosophy of science.” Brennan says the keynote will offer a good overview of the discussions and challenges from the conference.

 

The conference is presented and hosted by The University of Western Ontario Department of Philosophy and the university’s Joseph L. Rotman Institute of Science and Values. The Institute is dedicated to scholarly research and training in ethical issues in contemporary science.

http://communications.uwo.ca/com/western_news/stories/science_and_values_converge_at_international_conference_20100625446538/