The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. How people divide labour within and beyond the family unit has changed throughout human history. The current model in many Western nations, including Australia, is a version of the 'breadwinner model', where one parent is designated the primary earner and the other the primary carer. But where did this model come from? And why is it so entrenched? In this episode, What Gave Rise to the Breadwinner? we dive into the complex social, cultural, political, and economic forces shaping fatherhood, the historical notion of the male breadwinner, and consider where policy might fit in.Special Guests:Dr Kate Murphy, Senior Lecturer at Monash University. Kate is currently researching the history of fatherhood in 20thC Australia as part of the ARC funded project Fatherhood: An Australian History 1919–2019, with Mike Roper, John Murphy, Alistair Thomson, Johnny Bell and Jill Barnard.Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy, Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Lecturer in Family History at the University of Tasmania.Associate Professor Lee T Gettler, Director of the Hormones, Health, and Human Behavior Laboratory at Notre Dame University, faculty affiliate of the Eck Institute for Global Health. A full transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/working-fathers-mini-series-ep2-what-gave-rise-to-the-breadwinner The Working Fathers Podcast was funded by the Faculty of Arts and the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. The creators of the podcast are also very grateful for the support of external partners, the Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin.  The series is called Working Fathers, and explores the varied roles fathers play in contemporary Australia and how policy can better recognise, value and support fatherhood. In this first episode, ‘Where’s Dad?’ host Dan Halliday notes that, despite significant social change over the last 50 years, there is still a large gap between the time and energy mothers and fathers expend in caregiving and family labour. Dan and his guests look at how this division of labour shakes out in terms of responsibilities, risks and rewards: from the mental and emotional load of keeping a family running, through unappealing household chores, to the more joyful moments of parenting and the economic impacts for mothers.Special guests for this episode are:Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy, Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Lecturer in Family History at the University of Tasmania, Joint Editor of Studies in Oral History.Professor Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab at the University of Melbourne.   Professor Miranda Stewart, Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne and Fellow at the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University. A full transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/working-fathers-mini-series-ep1-where-s-dad  The Working Fathers Podcast was funded by the Faculty of Arts and the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. The creators of the podcast are also very grateful for the support of external partners, the Women’s Leadership Institute of Australia and the Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

In a break from our usual format, we are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. The series is called Working Fathers, and explores the varied roles fathers play in contemporary Australia and how policy can better recognise, value and support fatherhood.In this introduction to the series, Dan provides us with a teaser about what to expect over the next five episodes.The Working Fathers Podcast was funded by the Faculty of Arts and the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. The creators of the podcast are also very grateful for the support of external partners, the Women’s Leadership Institute of Australia and the Trawalla Foundation.Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

Our guest today is Professor of Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Exeter, Sabina Leonelli. Sabina recently released a book in the Cambridge Elements Philosophy of Science series on The Philosophy of Open Science. In her book, Sabina offers a stimulating perspective on the Open Science movement, discussing both its strengths and some of its unintended downsides, including constraining academic diversity and worsening epistemic injustices in some cases.In this episode, Sabina talks about her own wide-ranging experience with Open Science initiatives and the shift in perspective she would like to see across the Open Science movement towards ensuring more effective and responsible research outcomes. A transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-12-sabina-leonelli-on-the-philosophy-of-open-scienceRelevant links:Profile: Professor Sabina Leonelli | Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology | University of ExeterProject: A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environment | University of Exeter Book: Sabina Leonelli (2023) Philosophy of Open Science | Cambridge (Open Access)___________________________________________PhD Positions in HPS at the University of Melbourne.All are currently open for expressions of interest, with fully funded positions to start in 2025.Medical Humanities: PhD position for the Medical Humanities Research LabMetascience: PhD position for the MetaMelb Research InitiativeDeath Technologies: PhD position for the DeathTech Research Initiative Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

Today Carmelina is joined by Professor Uljana Feest, Philosopher of Psychology and Chair for Philosophy of Social Science and Social Philosophy at the Leibniz University of Hannover.  In this episode, Uljana discusses her work on the philosophy and history of psychology as it relates to the replication crisis. In a recent article ‘What is the Replication Crisis a Crisis Of?’ Uljana proposes something is missing from current debates which typically focus on one of two positions. On one hand are those calling for reforms in methods, such as statistical reform, on the other are those calling for a focus on theory building. Uljana suggests that, while both positions get something right, there is more to the story. We also need to focus on the subject matter of psychology - on what phenomena or object we are interested in studying, in how we conceptualise those objects (‘memory’ or ‘emotion’, for example) and then differentiate between the broader object of study and the narrow effect analysed in our experiments.The transcript for this episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-11-uljana-feest-on-what-is-missing-in-replication-debatesRelevant linksUljana's Profile: Prof Uljana Feest | Leibniz University Hannover Article: Uljana Feest | 2024 | 'What is the Replication Crisis a Crisis Of?' | Philosophy of Science___________________________________________PhD Positions in HPS at the University of Melbourne. All are currently open for expressions of interest, with fully funded positions to start in 2025.Medical Humanities: PhD position for the Medical Humanities Research LabMetascience: PhD position for the MetaMelb Research InitiativeDeath Technologies: PhD position for the DeathTech Research Initiative Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

Today we are joined by Miguel Ohnesorge and Aja Watkins to talk about a new subfield of HPS - The Philosophy of the Geosciences.  Miguel and Aja recently co-authored an article titled 'What is the Philosophy of the Geosciences?'  In today's episode, we discuss many of the themes introduced in the paper, including common problems found across such diverse geoscientific disciplines as palaeontology, seismology and climate science.Aja and Miguel highlight how the geosciences have had to develop similar strategies for studying such large and often inaccessible phenomena. As global sciences, they also face many common ethical challenges, including rectifying a history of often extractive and exploitative practices, as well as navigating the continued ramifications of their research on human welfare and the environment.A transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-10-aja-watkins-miguel-ohnesorge-on-philosophy-of-the-geosciencesRelevant links:Aja's Website: Aja Watkins (ajawatkins.org)Miguel's Website: Miguel Ohnesorge (mohnesorgehps.com)Open Access Paper: What is Philosophy of the Geosciences? | Ohnesorge & Watkins | 2024 Philosophy CompassResearch Group: Philosophy of the Geosciences Research Group | Alisa BokulichColloquium: Philosophy of the Geosciences Colloquium | Boston UniversityRecording: Aja Watkins | Using Paleoclimate Analogues to Inform Climate Projections Recording: Miguel Ohnesorge | Bringing Gravitation Down to Earth: Severe Testing in Laplace’s Mécanique CélesteRecording: Rachel Laudan | Cinderella Science: Intellectual Obstacles Facing History & Philosophy of Geology Recording: Carol Cleland | Rethinking Mineral Taxonomy from a More Historical Perspective Paper: Ahmad Elabbar | Varying Evidential Standards as a Matter of Justice | The British Journal for the Philosophy of ScienceThanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

How are we to understand Indigenous biological difference in the twenty-first century?Is it a racist ruse, a stubborn residue of racial pseudoscience?Or is it a potentially empowering force that can be unlocked by newly accurate science?Or by being under Indigenous control?Today’s guest is Deakin Distinguished Professor Emma Kowal. Emma first trained as a doctor and public health researcher, before turning to cultural and medical anthropology. Now Emma also works across Science and Technology Studies and the History of Science and is the immediate past president of The International Society for Social Studies of Science (4S).The episode focuses on Emma's recently published monograph Haunting Biology: Science & Indigeneity in Australia. In the book, Emma wrestles with the need to acknowledge the ghosts of science past at the same time as we forge new pathways in Indigenous genomics.A transcript for the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-9-emma-kowal-on-haunting-biologyRelated links:The Book - Haunting Biology | Emma KowalThe Centre - ANU National Centre for Indigenous GenomicsThe Program - SING Australia | Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in GenomicsProfile - Emma Kowal Profile | Deakin UniversityDeakin SSN - Deakin Science and Society Network Earlier Book - Trapped in the Gap: Doing Good in Indigenous Australia | Emma KowalInterview - 'Why Did Scientists Collect the Blood of Indigenous Peoples?' | Time to Eat the DogsInterview - 'Emma Kowal talks Indigenous health care, difference & genomics' | The Familiar StrangeYou can also find further links to people and topics mentioned in the podcast via the transcript. Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

We have a very special episode today with guest host Dr Joshua Eisenthal interviewing fellow philosopher of science, and good friend, Dr Haixin Dang on the fascinating subject of Disagreement in Science.It might seem like scientists should always aspire to achieve consensus, and therefore any disagreement in science is a mark of failure. However, as Haixin points out, disagreement is in fact a vital part of healthy scientific practice. Disagreement helps scientists be reflective about their work, challenging each other to consider alternative positions, question assumptions and further their investigations in a variety of ways.However, exactly how disagreement works in science, and what kind of disagreements are more or less helpful, has not been well-studied. Haixin suggests a better understanding of scientific disagreement may be important for science communication and tackling science scepticism. If we can better explain how scientists actually make progress, perhaps members of the public will be more understanding when the experts disagree.A transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-8-haixin-dang-on-disagreement-in-scienceFurther links:Website: Haixin Dang Journal Article: Minority Reports: Registering Dissent in Science | Philosophy of Science | Haixin DangJournal Article: Do Collaborators in Science Need to Agree? | Haixin DangPhysics Examples MentionedNo more doubts: Two independent studies confirm LIGO’s Nobel discovery | Ars TechnicaFermilab Says Particle Is Heavy Enough to Break the Standard Model | Quanta MagazineJames Webb Space Telescope deepens major debate over universe's expansion rate | SpaceFaster Than Lightspeed: These Neutrinos Were Faster Than The Speed Of Light—Until They Weren’t | Yale Scientific MagazineThanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

Today's episode features one of our favourite philosophers of physics, Dr Sophie Ritson. Sophie's research focuses on the way contemporary physicists – of both the experimental and theoretical kind – work together to develop reliable knowledge and find creative ways to expand our fundamental understanding of the universe.Sophie is unafraid to dig in where others fear to tread. She began her career examining the string theory controversy and, more recently, has studied first-hand the high stakes  experimental particle physics happening at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. In this week’s episode, Sophie discusses her fascinating research on these topics, as well as on the larger question of ‘how do large scale research collaboration’s generate knowledge?’A transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-7-sophie-ritson-transcript Further links:Website: Sophie Ritson | Philosopher of PhysicsProfile Article: Philosophy at the Large Hadron Collider: An Interview with Sophie Ritson | ForumPhD Thesis: The Many Dimensions of the String Theory Wars | Sophie Ritson | PhilSci-ArchiveJournal Article: ‘Crackpots’ and ‘active researchers’: The controversy over links between arXiv and the scientific blogosphere | Sophie Ritson, 2016 Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org

Today's guest is Dr Kirsten Walsh, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter.Kirsten’s research primarily focuses on Isaac Newton and his methodology, but she is careful to consider philosophical issues alongside a sensitivity and consideration for historical contexts.In today’s episode Kirsten gives us a sense of how our historical understanding of Newton has changed over time, and the role various archival practices have played in what knowledge is developed. Kirsten’s lively discussion gives us a wonderful insight into the detailed, everyday practices of Newton, but also of the archivists who decide what records are to be kept, and the historians who interrogate those documents in varying ways.A transcript of the interview can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/s3-ep-6-kirsten-walsh-transcript Related linksWebsite: Philosopher | Kirsten WalshPaper: 'The Unknown Newton' | Kirsten WalshPaper: 'Frameworks for Historians and Philosophers' | Currie & WalshBook: The Newton Papers | Sarah DryArchive: Newton Papers | Cambridge Digital Library Website: The Newton ProjectArchive: The Royal Society | Science in the MakingArticle: 'Newton goes digital' | Royal SocietyThanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook feeds.  This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.Music by ComaStudio. Website HPS Podcast | hpsunimelb.org