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

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 Science
• Naomi Oreskes Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped what we Do and Don't know about the Ocean
• David Kaiser How the Hippies Saved Physics
• James Poskett Horizons: A Global History of Science

A transcript of the episode can be found here:  https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-8-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

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.html
Heather 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-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

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-transcript

Below are some resources mentioned by Fallon in the interview:

• Fallon's Research on Medical Migration as well as Metascience
• Janet McCalman Sex and Suffering: Women's Health and a Women's Hospital 
• Rod Buchanan Playing with Fire: The Controversial Career of Hans J Eysenck
• Anne Crowther and Marguerite Dupree Medical Lives in the Age of Surgical Revolution
• Katharine Foxhall Migraine: A History
• Janet Browne - Biographies of Darwin

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 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-transcript

Some 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/533293a

Website: 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

Professor Cordelia Fine joins Samara this week to talk about 'norms of reaction' in relation to sex differences. Feminist critics of sex difference research are often accused of claiming there are no sex differences, or that sex hormones have no influence on human behaviour. Cordelia talks us through why this is a false characterisation. Instead, feminist researchers are digging into the ways in which the developmental outcomes of genes and hormones on behaviour can vary radically depending on environmental conditions.   

Links to some of the works Cordelia mentions in the podcast are provided below:

Rebecca Jordan-Young, Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences

Jillian Barker, Beyond Biofatalism: Human Nature for an Evolving World 2015

Video: Daphna Joel, ‘Neuroscience of Sex and Gender’

Cordelia Fine, Delusions of Gender 2010

Cordelia Fine, Testosterone Rex 2016

A transcript of the interview can be found here: https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-4-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

Does nature have a purpose?

The simple scientific answer is no, but the fuller story is, of course, more complicated than that. Concepts like goal directedness, directionality, and even purpose are used - usefully! - in biology all the time. How can we reconcile these two realities?

Today's guest on the HPS podcast is Professor Alan C. Love. Alan is professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota and principal investigator of 'The Purpose Project'. Alan joins Samara Greenwood to talk about how we can develop richer understandings of purpose in the sciences, and potentially, more broadly.

Alan also raises some interesting points on the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinarity. He discusses what scientists need to be aware of when working collaboratively, and how philosophers of science can add great value.

A transcript of the episode can be found here - https://www.hpsunimelb.org/post/episode-3-transcript

More about Alan Love and his work:

Project Website: ‘Biological Purpose’ - https://www.biologicalpurpose.org/

General Article: ‘Alan Love on the Science of Purpose’ - https://bit.ly/AlanLoveArticle

Academic Article: ‘Organising Interdisciplinary Research on Purpose’ -https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac041 

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

How do you view science? Is it a unified discipline that relies on a single method, or are the sciences more diverse than the standard image implies? 

In this episode of the podcast, Samara meets with the University of Melbourne’s own Dr Kristian Camilleri to talk about the Disunity of Science. 

Kristian highlights the problems with a monolithic vision of science and argues for seeing the sciences as diverse and differently evolving practices. This 'disunity' becomes clear when we appreciate that scientific disciplines often employ very different methodologies and have developed in divergent ways.  The disunity of science also has practical implications, as scientists may face barriers when collaborating if they hold to an overly simplified model of science.  Recognising science as highly variegated allows for a more helpful and accurate understanding.

Follow the links below to learn more about Kristian Camilleri and his work

• Interview with Kristian: ‘Unpacking the History of Quantum Mechanics’ 2021
• Kristian's Book: Heisenberg & the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics 2009

On the Disunity of Science

• Edited collection: The Disunity of Science: Boundaries, Contexts, and Power 1996
• Article: ‘The Disunity of Nature and Science’ 2002

A transcript of the podcast can be found here.

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 this episode of The HPS Podcast, Samara interviews a member of 'HPS Royalty' - Donna Haraway, who highlights the important role of narrative and storytelling in the sciences.

For Donna, storytelling in science involves being aware of how important scientific narratives are to scientific practice, and to the ways science contributes to humanities broader 'story' of the world. Donna proposes that engaging in 'polymath curiosity' by reading more in the world of HPS and beyond can help scientists ensure they stay innovative and playful with their thinking. Donna also suggests 'thinking about thinking' is helpful. For example, not just considering relationships as being linear or hierarchical, but rather thinking in webs of interactions, like in the game of 'Cat's Cradle'. Ultimately, Donna would love everyone to appreciate more the camaraderie, sense of humour and exploratory capacities of good scientists.

Follow the links below to learn more about Donna Haraway and her work, as discussed in the episode: 

• Article: ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs’ 1985
• Article: ‘Situated Knowledges’ 1988
• Book: Primate Visions 1989 
• Article: ‘A Game of Cat’s Cradle’ 1994
• Video: Donna Haraway Lecture ‘Making Oddkin: Story Telling for Earthly Survival’ 2017
• Video: Donna Haraway & Bruno Latour Discussing ‘Storytelling for Earthly Survival’ 2020

A transcript of the episode can also be found here.

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

Welcome to The HPS Podcast! Before we dive into the history and philosophy of science interviews we’ve all been waiting for, our host Samara Greenwood takes us through the backstory to the podcast. Samara discusses what HPS is all about, the aims of the podcast, as well as a bit about the history of the discipline. We then meet the rest of the podcast crew, Fiona Fidler and Indigo Keel, before learning more about the upcoming season. 

To find out more about HPS at the University of Melbourne and beyond, here are some further resources to explore:

• The HPS@UniMelb website, which also contains information about the HPS seminar series, the HPS blog and further resources. 
• More about HPS at the formal UniMelb HPS website
• A Short Video on HPS by Dr Kristian Camilleri 
• An article on the History of HPS at the University of Melbourne

A transcript of the episode can be found here.

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