Charles and the Women: Darwinian psychology meets the female body

My review essay of some recent books in evolutionary psychology, titled 'Charles and the Women: Darwinian psychology meets the female body' just appeared in the Australian Review of Public Affairs.

Second Call For Papers: “Darwin and the Social Sciences”

Interdisciplinary Conference, organised by the Research School of the Social Sciences, Australian National University, November 12-14, 2009 at Sparkle Helmore Lecture Theatre, Law School

The call-for-paper deadlines have been extended until September 30

1. Keynote Speakers

Peter Godfrey-Smith (Philosophy, Harvard)

Dalton Conley (Sociology, NYU)

Paul Seabright (Economics, IDEA, France)

Brian Boyd (English, Auckland)

2. The Origin Cycle

In addition, the conference will host the Australian premier of “The Origin Cycle”: a connected series of compositions written for and to passages of the Origin, and sung by Jane Sheldon. More details on this unique event will be provided in the next CFP/conference information notice.

3. Registration.

There is no fee for conference attendance. But space at the lecture theatre is limited, so those intending to attend should e-mail Professor Kim Sterelny (kimbo@coombs.anu.edu.au) to notify him of your interest. If lack of space is a problem, he will let you know.

4. Papers.

Themes for the Conference may include (but are not restricted to): evolution and complexity; evolutionary models of cultural change; the cultural importance of Darwinian ideas; the role of primate legacies in human social worlds. Contributed papers are invited: they should be of about 40 minutes duration, allowing about 20 minutes for questions/discussion. Those offering a paper should e-mail Sterelny ((kimbo@coombs.anu.edu.au)) with a brief abstract and a brief biographical note (a link to an academic website suffices) so he can group similar-themed papers together. Offers should reach him by September 30 (for preference); he will confirm acceptance early October.

5. Accommodation.

There is a reasonable amount of accommodation available on campus at University House and Liversidge. (There may be somewhat cheaper, but less upmarket accommodation available at the various student halls of residence). But this can be booked out quite early. So those intending to come are urged to book early (http://accom.anu.edu.au/UAS/186.html; http://www.anu.edu.au/unihouse/)

John Wilkins' New Book

Congratulations to SCFS Research Associate John Wilkins on the publication of his latest book, Defining Species: A Sourcebook from Antiquity to Today. (Especially after the recent [weeks-ago!] launch of his Species: A History of the Idea.)

Description: This volume provides excerpts and commentary on source material ranging from the Greeks, through the middle ages, to the modern era, on the definition of "species". It demonstrates that the logical meaning of species is in direct contrast to the use of kind terms and concepts in natural history and biology, and that the myth that biologists or natural historians were ever essentialists about kinds is mistaken.

Key Thinkers Series

Paul Griffiths delivered his Key Thinkers lecture on "Konrad Lorenz and the Rise of Sociobiology" last night. Two more SCFS researchers will be following Paul in this series hosted by Sydney Ideas: Duncan Ivison on "John Rawls on Social Justice" (September 23) and Mark Colyvan on "Kurt Godel and the Limits of Mathematics" (September 30).

http://www.usyd.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/thoughts_thinkers/index.php

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

Over the October long weekend the Sydney Opera House is hosting the Festival of Dangerous Ideas

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/program/festival_of_dangerous_ideas.aspx

Of particular interest to SCFS associates would be Julian Savulesca's "Genetically Enhance Humanity or Face Extinction." Baroness Susan Greenfield is also giving a talk.

For the possibility of tickets, closer to the date, contact:

rodney.taveira@usyd.edu.au

SANU Meeting August 31st 2009-08-26

This is the first of a planned series of meetings to explore common interests between philosophy of biology researchers at ANU and Sydney.

11.00-12.30 Show-and-Tell (5-10m each)
12.30-2.00 Lunch
2.00-2.30 Brett Calcott (ANU), "Levels of Selection and Individuality in Evolution: Conceptual Issues and the Role of Artificial Life Models" (15m talk, 15m discussion)
2.30-3.00 Jack Justus (Sydney), "A Case Study in Concept Determination: Ecological Diversity."
3.00-3.30 Coffee
3.30-4.15 Rachael Brown (ANU), "Reassessing the Modern Synthesis = Reassessing Behavioural Biology?"
4.15-4.30 Charles Wolfe (Sydney), “Montpellier Vitalism”
4.30-4.45 John Wilkins (Sydney), Précis of “Species: A History of the Idea”

5.00-6.00 Reception and booklaunch for ‘Species: A History of the Idea”
6.30 Dinner

Anyone interested in attending the meeting should contact paul.griffiths@usyd.edu.au

Call for Papers:

The Future of Philosophy of Science

Sydney-Tilburg conference on

The Future of Philosophy of Science
Wednesday 14 - Friday 16 April 2010

Tilburg University, The Netherlands

Philosophy of science deals with the foundations and the methods of science. While the scope of philosophy of science is rather uncontroversial, there is considerable disagreement about its methodology. A look into the relevant journals reveals that there is a plurality of approaches. Some researchers use the traditional method of conceptual analysis, others engage in formal modeling, conduct case studies and – more recently – experiments, or consult the history of science in considerable detail. Despite the differences in these approaches, there also seem to be undeniable trends in our discipline, such as the increasing specialization, and the increasing co-operation with empirical scientists and policy makers. This conference will explore the future of philosophy of science. In particular, we are interested in how the different methods philosophers of science use relate to each other, whether they can fruitfully complement each other, and whether current trends allow predictions about the development of our field. We invite contributions that combine cutting-edge individual research with a general perspective on the methods and future of philosophy of science.

We invite submissions of both a short abstract (max. 100 words) and an extended abstract (1000-1500 words) through our automatic submission systemby 15 November 2009. Decisions will be made by 15 December 2009.

The conference language is English.

Publication
Selected papers will be published in a special issue of European Journal for the Philosophy of Science (subject to the usual refereeing process). The submission deadline is 1 July 2010. The maximal paper length is 7000 words.

Graduate Fellowships
A few travel bursaries for graduate students are available (up to 200 €). If you wish to be considered please submit a CV and a travel budget in addition to your extended abstract.