- HPS_EST - Philosophy bulletin board

APSE talk by Remco Heesen + reading group

by Vinzenz Fischer

Dear all, we are delighted to invite you to the next installment of the APSE talks series, as well as to the accompanying reading circle prior to the talk. The talk will be given by Remco Heesen (LSE). When: Thursday, 10.04.2025, 15:00 - 17:00 Where: HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) The Division of Cognitive Labour under Poisson Productivity When a community of academics faces a research problem and multiple methodological approaches to solving it, how much effort should they devote to each approach to maximise their chances of solving the problem and minimise the time to a solution? This problem is known as the division of cognitive labour (DCL). More specifically, Philip Kitcher, Michael Strevens, and Kevin Zollman have asked whether and to what extent academics' expectations of credit for solving the problem can act as an invisible hand to produce an efficient DCL without a need for top-down planning. Here I revisit this question using a modelling framework (key ingredient: academic productivity follows a Poisson distribution) that has more empirical support than Kitcher's, Strevens', and Zollman's, and is also more flexible in that it can be used to address broader questions about credit incentives. The somewhat surprising finding is that in this framework the DCL problem becomes essentially trivial. I'd like to discuss implications for how we think about the model and/or the DCL problem. Reading Circle (1:15-3 PM): When: right before the talk - Thursday, 10.04.2025, 13:15 - 15:00 Where: same place - HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) We will focus our discussion on an article by Kevin Zollman (attached pdf): Zollman, K. J. S. (2007). The Communication Structure of Epistemic Communities. Philosophy of Science, 74(5), 574-587. https://doi.org/10.1086/525605 As an introduction we suggest this SEP article (especially Chapters 2, 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2): Šešelja, Dunja, "Agent-Based Modeling in the Philosophy of Science", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2023/entries/agent-modeling-philscie…>. For further reading regarding the topic: Heesen, R. (2018). Why the reward structure of science makes reproducibility problems inevitable. The Journal of Philosophy, 115(12), 661-674. https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil20181151239 Kitcher, P. (1990). The Division of Cognitive Labor. The Journal of Philosophy, 87(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.2307/2026796 Thoma, J. (2015). The Epistemic Division of Labor Revisited. Philosophy of Science, 82(3), 454-472. https://doi.org/10.1086/681768 Best wishes, Vinzenz Fischer

2 months, 1 week

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APSE talk by Remco Heesen + reading group

by Ella Valerie Berger

Dear all, we are delighted to invite you to the next instalment of the APSE talks series, as well as to the accompanying reading circle prior to the talk. The talk will be given by Remco Heesen (LSE). When: Thursday, 10.04.2025, 15:00 - 17:00 Where: HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) The Division of Cognitive Labour under Poisson Productivity When a community of academics faces a research problem and multiple methodological approaches to solving it, how much effort should they devote to each approach to maximise their chances of solving the problem and minimise the time to a solution? This problem is known as the division of cognitive labour (DCL). More specifically, Philip Kitcher, Michael Strevens, and Kevin Zollman have asked whether and to what extent academics' expectations of credit for solving the problem can act as an invisible hand to produce an efficient DCL without a need for top-down planning. Here I revisit this question using a modelling framework (key ingredient: academic productivity follows a Poisson distribution) that has more empirical support than Kitcher's, Strevens', and Zollman's, and is also more flexible in that it can be used to address broader questions about credit incentives. The somewhat surprising finding is that in this framework the DCL problem becomes essentially trivial. I'd like to discuss implications for how we think about the model and/or the DCL problem. Reading Circle: When: right before the talk - Thursday, 10.04.2025, 13:00 - 15:00 Where: same place - HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) To get the reading material for the Reading Cycle, please contact vinzenz.fischer(a)univie.ac.at Please share this invitation with anyone who might be interested! Best wishes, Ella Berger (on behalf of the APSE unit)

2 months, 2 weeks

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Vienna STS Talks x FutureSpace Talk by Darshan Vigneswaran and Enrike van Wingerden

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 5th talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2025S: [cid:image001.png@01DBA3E6.2B038C60]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/news-events/details/news/futurespace-talk-by-darsh…> Best wishes, Katrin Hackl __________ Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG) 1010 Vienna / Austria Tel.: 0043-1-4277-496007 [cid:image002.jpg@01DBA3E2.A2A1A300]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/>

2 months, 2 weeks

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IVC Talk:Paolo Tripodi and Guido Bonino (University of Turin) on "Academic Success in America: Analytic Philosophy and the Decline of Wittgenstein", April 3, 4.45pm

by Zarah Weiss

Dear all, our next speakers in the Philosophy of Science Colloquium organized by the Institute Vienna Circle are Paolo Tripodi and Guido Bonino (University of Turin), who will give a talk on April 3, 4.45-6.15 pm. All are welcome! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philosophy of Science Colloquium TALK: Paolo Tripodi & Guido Bonino (University of Turin) ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN AMERICA: ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY AND THE DECLINE OF WITTGENSTEIN Philosophy of Science Colloquium The Institute Vienna Circle holds a Philosophy of Science Colloquium with talks by our present fellows. Date: 03/04/2025 Time: 16h45 Venue: New Institute Building (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien, HS 3A Abstract: There is a rather widespread consensus, among historians of philosophy, concerning the decline of Wittgenstein amid recent analytic philosophy. However, the exact import of such a decline, its chronological development, as well as its causes and several other features, are difficult to ascertain with the traditional methods of the history of philosophy. In this talk we apply a distant reading approach, and a variety of other quantitative methods, to provide a more reliable and accurate account of Wittgenstein's decline. We focus on a corpus consisting of the metadata of US PhD dissertations in philosophy from 1981 to 2010 (although other kinds of data are also taken into consideration), and we try to relate the topic of the dissertation to the success of the candidate in his/her subsequent academic career. The results of this analysis, corroborated by other evidence, allow us to put forth the more reliable and accurate account just hinted at, and at the same time to suggest - as a contribution to external history of philosophy - a plausible mechanism at the basis of the decline itself, notably a process driven by those who controlled the recruitment policies in the philosophy departments.

2 months, 2 weeks

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Fwd: [Rundmail.wissenschaftsforschung] Visual Ethnographies of Science film screening 8 April

by Sarah Davies

This event may be of interest to some! > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sarah Davies <sarah.davies(a)univie.ac.at> > Subject: [Rundmail.wissenschaftsforschung] Visual Ethnographies of Science film screening 8 April > Date: 13. March 2025 at 08:54:35 CET > To: Mailinglist - Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung <Rundmail.Wissenschaftsforschung(a)lists.univie.ac.at>, master-sts(a)lists.univie.ac.at > > Dear all, > > please join us to view films made as part of the course ‘Visual Ethnographies of Science: Investigating knowledge production through media practice’ on Tuesday 8th April from 6.30pm (see flyer attached for full details). Hope to see you there! > > Sarah > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Sarah R Davies (Pronouns: she/her/hers) > Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, & Digital Cultures > Department of Science and Technology Studies > University of Vienna > sarah.davies(a)univie.ac.at <mailto:sarah.davies@univie.ac.at> > > * I am sending this email at a time that suits my workflow. I do not expect a response outside of normal working hours * > _______________________________________________ > Rundmail.Wissenschaftsforschung mailing list > Rundmail.Wissenschaftsforschung(a)lists.univie.ac.at > https://lists.univie.ac.at/mailman/listinfo/rundmail.wissenschaftsforschung ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sarah R Davies (Pronouns: she/her/hers) Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, & Digital Cultures Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna sarah.davies(a)univie.ac.at <mailto:sarah.davies@univie.ac.at> * I am sending this email at a time that suits my workflow. I do not expect a response outside of normal working hours *

2 months, 2 weeks

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Reminder: UPSalon Stammtisch April 1st, 6 PM, at Tunnel

by Initiative to Support Women in Academic Philosophy

Dear all, Here is a little reminder for the UPSalon Stammtisch (regular's table). Hope to see u there: April 1st at 6 PM at Tunnel Vienna, Florianigasse 39, 1080 Wien Best, UPsalon Mail: upsalon.philosophy(a)univie.ac.at Web: https://upsalon.univie.ac.at

2 months, 2 weeks

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APSE Reading Talk & Circle - Anna Alexandrova: Social Science: A Constructivist Account

by Ella Valerie Berger

Dear all, we warmly invite you to the next APSE (Applied Philosophy of Science and Epistemology) talk and Reading Circle. The talk will be held by Anna Alexandrova (University of Cambridge). Talk: When: Thursday, 03.04.2025, 15:00 - 17:00 Where: HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) Title & abstract: Social Science: A Constructivist Account What sort of inquiry is social science? This question used to preoccupy philosophers but fell off their agenda due to a stalemate between so-called naturalists, who took the ideal to be natural science, and exceptionalists, who allied social sciences with humanities. I show that both positions commit the error of contrastivism, namely defining social science in contrast to these two traditions, which inevitably ends up caricaturing them. Using recent advances in philosophy, I formulate constructivism about social sciences, a view that denies an essence to this inquiry and grounds it in the needs of communities to understand and improve themselves. Reading Circle: When: right before the talk - Thursday, 03.04.2025, 13:00 - 15:00 Where: same place - HS 3A, NIG (Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien) We will focus our discussion on a forthcoming article by Anna Alexandrova (attached pdf): Alexandrova, Anna. (forthcoming) "Social Science: A Constructivist Account" As introduction to Constructivism, we suggest this article (especially Chapters 1 and 5): Bagnoli, Carla, "Constructivism in Metaethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2024 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2024/entries/constructivism-metaethi…>. For further reading regarding the topic: Anderson, Elizabeth. "Local Knowledge in Institutional Epistemology." Australasian Philosophical Review (2024): 1-23. Longino, Helen E. (1990). Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry. Princeton University Press. Risjord, M. W. (2022). PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE : a contemporary introduction. (Second edition.). ROUTLEDGE. Best wishes, Ella Berger and Vinzenz Fischer, on behalf of the APSE team

2 months, 3 weeks

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UPSalon Stammtisch 01.04. 18:00h im "Tunnel"; UPSalon regular's table April 1st, 6 PM at "Tunnel"

by Initiative to Support Women in Academic Philosophy

Dear all, we hope u had a great start to the new semester! UPSalon is hosting another Stammtisch or "regular's table" next week and likes to cordially invite you! People from all stages in their philosophical studies are welcome, and we are especially excited to meet new people! UPSalon are a group of doctoral and post-doctoral researchers; the initiative aims at creating a space and community in Vienna where underrepresented philosophers – such as women, trans, inter and non-binary persons, BIPOC, socioeconomically disadvantaged people, queer people, and people with disabilities – can connect on a regular basis. For more information, check out our website: upsalon.univie.ac.at Where? Tunnel Vienna, Florianigasse 39, 1080 Wien When? April 1st at 6 PM We are very much looking forward to meeting all of you! Do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have. Best regards, UPsalon Mail: upsalon.philosophy(a)univie.ac.at Web: https://upsalon.univie.ac.at

2 months, 3 weeks

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HoSK colloquium, 27 March 25, 11:30 CET, The Science of Science

by Anna Echterhölter

Dear Colleagues, Is there a specific tradition in the history of HPS in Poland? Does a Central European perspective on academic networks help us to reformulate the concept of counter universities? We cordially invite you to celebrate a new volume about the tradition of Science Studies in Eastern and Central Europe with us and two of the main authors: *“Organising, Optimising and Concealing Science: On Political Epistemologies in Central and Eastern Europe”* with Jan Surman (Prague Academy of Science <https://www.mua.cas.cz/en/lide/detail-surman>, in person), Friedrich Cain (University of Vienna <https://fakzen-thks.univie.ac.at/ueber-uns/mitarbeiterinnen/cain-friedrich/>, in person) Thursday, 27 March 2025, 11:30-13:00 Uhr CET Währinger Straße 29, 1.OG, Seminarraum 6 Zoom: https://univienna.zoom.us/j/66194391940?pwd=c4orxC2pd8jnI5MP5uriEA9hLy86HH.1 Meeting-ID: 661 9439 1940 Kenncode: 871687 After a short introduction of the guests we will disuss two foundational texts from Polish history of science and knowledge ("science of science"). For your preparation we would kindly ask you to download the texts directly from the publishers website, since the whole volume is available in open access: Friedrich Cain, Bernhard Kleeberg (Hg.): A New Organon. Science Studies in Interwar Poland, Mohr Siebeck 2024. (= Historische Wissensforschung 18) https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/a-new-organon-9783161543159/ We will read the translated texts by: Ossowska/Ossowski <https://viewer.content-select.com/pdf/viewer?id=1&id_type=isbn&identifiers=…>(1935): The Science of Science Bujak <https://viewer.content-select.com/pdf/viewer?id=1&id_type=isbn&identifiers=…>(1929): The Man of Action and the Student We would also like to draw your attention to two past conferences: *"(Re)Thinking the University from, in, and beyond (Post-)Socialist Europe" (2023) * https://fakzen-thks.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/z_fakzen_thks/Histor… *The Counter-University. Histories, Movements, and Ambitions (2025) *https://engerom.ku.dk/english/calendar/2024/the-counter-university/ For those of you interested in these topics, why not subscribe to the newsletter of HPS.CESEE, the online platform about the * History and Philosophy of Science in Central, Eastern, and Southestern Europe* https://hpscesee.blogspot.com/ This session of the Research Colloqium History of Science and Knowledge is addressed to the larger public, please feel free to circulate this invitation. Kind regards Sebastian Felten, Nils Güttler and Anna Echterhölter

2 months, 3 weeks

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Today! Vienna STS Talks - FutureSpace Talk by Karlijn Korpershoek

by Katrin Hackl

We are happy to invite you to our 3rd talk of the Vienna STS Talk Series in 2025S: [cid:image001.png@01DB9982.B1E848B0]<https://bsky.app/profile/stsvienna.bsky.social/post/3ljzqyrupfs2w> Best wishes, Katrin __________ Mag. Katrin Hackl Research Support & Communication Department of Science and Technology Studies University of Vienna Universitätsstraße 7 /II/ 6th floor (NIG) 1010 Vienna / Austria Tel.: 0043-1-4277-496007 [cid:image002.jpg@01DB9982.B1E848B0]<https://sts.univie.ac.at/>

3 months

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