CfA: Biasing Mechanisms in Scientific Research
Leibniz University Hannover
May 31^st – June 1^st , 2024
In the philosophy of science, recent work has led to an emerging
consensus that science is not value-free, and that values, including
social and political values, play different roles in the research
process. It has also become clear that, values can have both a
positive and a negative impact on science. Sometimes, values can
contribute to science’s epistemic and social goals, while other times,
they can have a detrimental effect on science’s epistemic goals, i.e.,
biasing research results. With this framework in mind, the main goal
of this workshop is to clarify the negative roles of values in
scientific research, and in particular their sometimes-biasing
effects. While it is well-known that biases impact scientific research
results, we have a less clear understanding of the different types of
biases, their mechanisms, and their scope. Current invited speakers
include:
* Heather Douglas (Michigan State University)
* Jacob Stegenga (University of Cambridge)
* David Teira (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia)
* Anke Büter (Aarhus University)
We welcome submissions that seek to advance our understanding of
negative biases and their effects in scientific research. Questions
that might be addressed include (but are not limited to):
* In which situations are biases most likely to occur?
* Which mechanisms enable biases to interfere with scientific
practice? Are these mechanisms intrinsic to scientific practices
or can we debias scientific procedures to mitigate or eliminate
them altogether?
* What relationship(s) do biases have to values in science? Do
negative biases have any special implications for the value-free
ideal?
* What relationship(s) do biases have to diversity in science?
* How might we characterize ‘negative’ biases?
* Are there different types of biases or biasing mechanisms in science?
This workshop is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), as
a part of the research project “A Philosophical Approach to Biasing
Mechanisms in Scientific Research” and the SOCRATES
<https://www.socrates.uni-hannover.de/en/> Centre for Advanced
Studies. Abstracts should be a maximum of 800 words, in English, and
submitted by January 15^th , 2024 at the latest. They can be submitted
through the following Google form:
https://forms.gle/zhHsp9XaUGwAzKCU9. We aim to give notifications of
acceptance by mid to late February.
Any questions or inquiries can be sent to Jamie Shaw
(jamie.shaw(a)philos.uni-hannover.de).
Warm wishes,
Jamie Shaw, Manuela Fernandez-Pinto, and Torsten Wilholt (Organizing
Committee)
--
Dr. Leonie Wiemeyer (sie/she)
Koordinatorin | Coordinator
Office days: Tuesdays and alternate Thursdays
“SOCRATES – Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge and Science-Based
Information”
DFG-Kollegforschungsgruppe (KFG) 43, Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social
Sciences
Institut für Philosophie
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Lange Laube 32
30159 Hannover
Germany
E-Mail:leonie.wiemeyer@philos.uni-hannover.de
Mobil: +49 (0)160 92470508
Telefon: +49 (0)511 762-14541
Find us online athttp://socrates.uni-hannover.de!