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

In this final bonus episode for Season 1 we are doing things a little bit differently. Instead of a one-way interview,  philosopher of physics - Joshua Eisenthal - and host Samara Greenwood have a two-way conversation reflecting on Season 1 and discuss how certain episodes intersected with their own research interests.In particular, Josh and Sam discuss Donna Haraway's concept of Storytelling, Greg Radick's discussion of Counterfactual History and Fallon Mody's thoughts on the uses of biography.Joshua is a research assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology and associate editor of the Einstein papers.You can find more about Josh on his website - www.josheisenthal.co.uk The transcript for this episode can be found at - https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-13-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

Simine Vazire, Professor of Psychology, discusses collaboration between HPS scholars and scientists, the role of HPS in shaping psychological research practices, incentives to exaggerate in science communication, the crisis of replication in psychology, and recent cases of fraud and misconduct in psychology and behavioral science.

"It wouldn’t make sense to leave the entire burden of upholding objectivity in science on the shoulders of fallible individuals, right?" Prof. Fiona Fidler To finish off our inaugural season with a bang – today’s episode features the visionary researcher who initiated the idea for the podcast – Professor Fiona Fidler. Fiona is head of our History and Philosophy of Science Program at the University of Melbourne and co-lead of the MetaMelb research initiative. In this episode Fiona first discusses her early move from psychology to HPS when she was struck by the ‘dodgy’ statistical methods she found prevalent in many sciences. She has since dedicated her career to studying scientific practice to help improve confidence in scientific claims.Fiona introduces us to the concept of ‘Collective Objectivity’. Following from an earlier podcast on 'Values in Science' by Rachel Brown, Fiona discusses how contemporary understandings of objectivity have become more sophisticated.Rather than viewing objectivity in science as solely the role of individuals, today we understand there are strong social dimensions to ensuring scientific outcomes are not unduly biased.  As Fiona discusses, this not only requires diversity in 'who does science' to ensure multiple perspectives are incorporated, but we also need multiple collective review mechanisms to ensure we are developing truly robust, reliable, objective outcomes. Current research shows our current community-level systems are no longer adequate for today’s complex scientific world. Fiona forcefully argues that what is required is heavy investment in establishing stronger collective mechanisms for reinforcing the goals of scientific objectivity.Some links related to this episode can be found below:Profile: Prof Fiona Fidler (unimelb.edu.au)AIMOS - Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-Research and Open ScienceBlog Post: MetaMelb – A New Research Initiative (hpsunimelb.org) |Website: MetaMelb research groupHelen Longino  (1990) Science as Social KnowledgeStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Objectivity as a Feature of Scientific CommunitiesStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Objectivity as a Social ProcessThanks 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 on the podcast is Dr James McElvenny, historian and philosopher of linguistics, discussing the topic of language and science.As James points out in this episode, intersections between language, the language sciences and science are many and varied. For example, James introduces us to the ways in which the study of language and the study of science have interacted in history, in particular through famous figures in the philosophy of science such as Wittgenstein and Carnap. James also makes the important point that while there are many practical reasons to study language or science or HPS -  there is also much to be said about studying them for their inherent interest and their value in making us better-developed people, or as they say in Germany: ‘Gebildet’.As well as working and teaching in this space, James runs his own very successful podcast  - The History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences. The podcast and blog can be found via the website at https://hiphilangsci.net/Some links relevant to this episode can be found below:James McElvenny's personal website: https://www.jamesmcelvenny.net/James McElvenny's A History of Modern LinguisticsPodcast: History of Philosophy without Any GapsBook: Michael Gordin, Scientific Babel: How Science was done Before and After Global EnglishBook: Stephen G. Alter Darwinism and the Linguistic ImageHiPhiLangSci Ep5: On August Schleicher and comparative-historical linguisticsHiPhiLangSci Ep15: On Jakobson and the Prague CircleA full transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-11-transcriptThanks 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

This week we welcome Dr Martin Bush to the podcast to discuss the role of imagery and visualisation in the circulation of science and knowledge. Martin is a member of the HPS department at the University of Melbourne who focuses primarily on the role of imagery in the popularisation and teaching of astronomy. In this episode, he takes us through the different arenas in which science is produced, discussed and circulated, and how these spheres can influence, or gate keep knowledge from each other. Martin then looks at the role that imagery and visualisation plays in the popularisation and understanding of scientific knowledge, and at the use of imagery as documentary evidence. Follow the links below to learn more about Martin and the topic he discussed with us:Burke, Peter. Eyewitnessing: The uses of images as historical evidence. Cornell University Press, 2001.Bush, Martin. (2018). 1891: The Collins–Hosking debate, Christchurch. Public Understanding of Science, 27(7), 897–904. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662518771400Bush, Martin. "Again with feeling: modes of visual representation of popular astronomy in the mid-nineteenth century." Notes and Records 76, no. 3 (2022): 485-506. Kärnfelt, Johan. "The Popularization of Astronomy in Early Twentieth-Century Sweden: Aims and Motives." In Popularizing Science and Technology in the European Periphery, 1800–2000, pp. 175-194. Routledge, 2016.Lewis, Dyani. "Why the WHO took two years to say COVID is airborne." Nature 604, no. 7904 (2022): 26-31.Secord, Anne. (1994). Science in the Pub: Artisan Botanists in Early Nineteenth-Century Lancashire. History of Science, 32(3), 269–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/007327539403200302. Secord, James A. “Knowledge in Transit.” Isis 95, no. 4 (2004): 654–72. https://doi.org/10.1086/430657.A full transcript of the episode can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-10-transcriptThanks 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

This episode features Caleb Hazelwood, philosopher of science and PhD candidate, talking on the topic of Scientific Metaphysics. As Caleb explains, ‘scientific metaphysics’ refers to coming to grips with what ‘really is’ in the world – and being crystal clear about the concepts we use to describe natural phenomena and how they interact.  For example, Caleb talks about the importance of differentiating between entities we consider stable across the universe – such as the elements  – compared with more space-bound entities – such as biological species.While exploring such fundamental questions may appear difficult and abstract, Caleb does a wonderful job in showing how debates such as these provide for fruitful interactions between scientific practice and philosophical reasoning.  See the following links for more on the topic:·       Caleb Hazelwood - https://calebhazelwood.com/·       Catherine Kendig - https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/catherine-kendig·       Yasmin Haddad - https://www.yasminhaddad.com/·       Thomas Pradeu on ‘Individuality and the Microbiome’ - https://invivomagazine.com/en/focus/interview/article/350/you-can-identify-individuals-based-on-their-unique-features-of-their-microbiomes·       Thomas Pradeu on Philosophy of Immunology - https://newbooksnetwork.com/philosophy-of-immunology·       Caleb’s review of Charles Pence’s The Causal Structure of Natural Selection - http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/21945/·       James Woodward – Causation with a Human Face·       James Woodward – ‘Causation and Manipulability’ SEP - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-mani/·       ‘Metaphysics of Science’ (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)·       Aeon article by John Dupré on ‘Science-based Metaphysics’A full transcript of the episode can be found 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

This week Indigo Keel interviews our regular host, Samara Greenwood, on societal contexts and science.Samara is currently undertaking a PhD in which she investigates the various ways in which changes in society can come to shape change in science. In this episode Samara discusses some of the controversies of drawing links between political contexts and scientific change, including links between second wave feminism and Primate Field Studies in the 20th century. She also discusses how studying context-to-science relations can provide us with a richer and more inclusive understanding of science, one which does justice to the positive contributions social and political change can have on knowledge production.If you are interested in learning more about context, or reading examples of contextual histories of science, Samara suggests the following books:Samara Greenwood  ‘The Problem of Context Revisited: Moving Beyond the Resources Model’, Studies in History and Philosophy of ScienceNaomi Oreskes Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped what we Do and Don't know about the OceanDavid Kaiser How the Hippies Saved PhysicsJames Poskett Horizons: A Global History of ScienceA transcript of the episode can be found here:  https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-8-transcriptThanks 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 on the podcast Samara talks with Dr Rachael Brown on values in science. In particular, the downfall of the value-free ideal. Dr. Rachael Brown, is a philosopher of biology and director for the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences at the Australian National University or ANU in Canberra. Rachael runs her own wonderful podcast on philosophy and science called The P-Value. In discussing values in science, Rachael describes how the traditional stance is that science works best when scientists do not bring personal or social values to their work, particularly when it comes to interpreting data or assessing hypotheses. However this value-free ideal is challenged on two key fronts. First, at a practical level, can science really be ever conducted without values? And second, would we want it to, even if we could? In other words, if used appropriately can values provide a beneficial component to the scientific process?As part of the discussion on values and perspectives in science, Rachael also provides a valuable analogy, the concept of a figure on a stage being lit up by a variety of spotlights in order to fully see the figure. In a similarly way, Rachael describes how useful it is to have a variety of views on a particular natural phenomena as different viewpoints cast both differing 'lights' on a subject, but also different 'shadows'. It is only when multiple perspectives are obtained that the shadows become illuminated.Some relevant links are provided below:Rachael's podcast 'The P-Value' - https://thep-value.buzzsprout.com/Rachael's personal website - https://www.rachaelbrown.net/about-me.htmlHeather Douglas book - Science, Policy and the Value-Free Ideal   A full transcript of the episode can also be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-7-transcriptThanks 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

On this episode Samara interviews Dr Fallon Mody, Historian of Medicine and Metascience researcher at the University of Melbourne, on the topic of Biography.For non-historians, scientific biography is likely thought of as a straightforward telling of a celebrated individual’s life history, like Albert Einstein or Marie Curie. However, historians find biography - as a research tool - is better put to a broader range of uses. For example, Fallon has used group biographies in her own research investigating the role of migrant and refugee doctors in shaping urban and regional medicine in Australia during the early 20th century.In today’s episode Fallon draws our attention to the range of ways biography can be used as a valuable research tool – especially in recovering important stories of women, indigenous, and non-elites in the history of science and medicine.A transcript of the interview can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-6-transcriptBelow are some resources mentioned by Fallon in the interview:Fallon's Research on Medical Migration as well as MetascienceJanet McCalman Sex and Suffering: Women's Health and a Women's Hospital Rod Buchanan Playing with Fire: The Controversial Career of Hans J EysenckAnne Crowther and Marguerite Dupree Medical Lives in the Age of Surgical RevolutionKatharine Foxhall Migraine: A HistoryJanet Browne - Biographies of DarwinThanks 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

This weeks guest is Greg Radick, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds.In the podcast Greg discusses the use of counterfactuals in history of science - the term we use for asking ‘What if?’ questions about history - and their potential to subvert our conventional thinking. In Greg’s research, a central counterfactual question is: “What might biology be like now if a different side had triumphed in early debates on genetics?”From this seemingly simple ‘what if?’ question a fruitful range of new research options open up.A transcript of the interview can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-5-transcriptSome useful resources on Greg and his work:Book: Disputed Inheritance: The Battle over Mendel and the Future of Biology (Published August 2023)  Article on Teaching Genetics differently: Teach students the biology of their time | Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/533293aWebsite: https://gregoryradick.com/ 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