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I am professor and chair of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. I am the current president of the Philosophy of Science Association. I have always been fascinated by complexity. How does a complex organism (or superorganism!) evolve or develop from simple beginnings? Why do intricate and sometimes unique structures occur in nature – like the nictitating lens of the chicken eye, or the waggle dance of honeybees? Why do multi-drug therapies work better than single drugs for diseases like HIV/AIDS? Generally, my research focuses on epistemological and metaphysical issues in the philosophy of science. More specifically my interests have centered on scientific explanations of complex behavior, and how we might best represent multi-level, multi-component, dynamic complex systems. I have published articles on functional explanation, units of selection in evolutionary biology, sociobiology, biological complexity and self-organization, scientific laws, robustness and emergence. I have been informed by the sciences that study social insects, global climate, genetic regulation, psychiatric disorders, and protein structure. Currently I am exploring cognitive resources for modeling scientific integrative practices, pragmatic metaphysics, and how to understand scientific data in both its production and its use。
Recent and Upcoming Talks and News
PSA joint webinar with the Union of Concerned Scientists' Center for Science and Democracy. Wednesday, June 7 from 2-3 pm EST. Topic: "Scientific Facts vs. Alternative Facts (sic)"
Blog post at the Union of Concerned Scientists "The Ill-logic of Alternative Facts (sic)" June 7, 2017 http://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/the-ill-logic-of-alternative-facts-sic
August 14-18, 2017 Pitt-Tsinghua Summer School for Philosophy of Science: "Epistemological Issues in Scientific Experiment", Institute for Science, Technology and Society, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
August 19-20, 2017: "Perspectivism, Pluralism and Pragmatism: Lessons from Protein Science", Symposium Frontier in the Philosophy of Specific Sciences, Tsinghua University
Blog post at the Union of Concerned Scientists "The Ill-logic of Alternative Facts (sic)" June 7, 2017 http://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/the-ill-logic-of-alternative-facts-sic
August 14-18, 2017 Pitt-Tsinghua Summer School for Philosophy of Science: "Epistemological Issues in Scientific Experiment", Institute for Science, Technology and Society, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
August 19-20, 2017: "Perspectivism, Pluralism and Pragmatism: Lessons from Protein Science", Symposium Frontier in the Philosophy of Specific Sciences, Tsinghua University