Now on ScienceBlogs: And so, driven on ceaselessly toward new shores
Janet D. Stemwedel (whose nom de blog is Dr. Free-Ride) is an associate professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. Before becoming a philosopher, she earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Email her at dr.freeride@gmail.com.
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In the 12 September, 2008 issue of Science, there is a brief article titled "Do We Need 'Synthetic Bioethics'?" [1]. The authors, Hastings Center ethicists Erik Parens, Josephine Johnston, and Jacob Moses, answer: no....
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 12:52 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Reading the comments on my post and Chad's post about the different societal attitudes towards humanities and arts and math and science (especially in terms of what "basic" knowledge a well-educated person ought to have), I get the feeling that...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 4:46 PM • 25 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Over at Philosopher's Playground, Steve Gimbel asks why the philosophy of chemistry is such a recent discipline given how long there has been serious activity in the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of physics. He floats a few possible...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 10:13 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Via Crooked Timber, I see that philosopher Simon Blackburn would like to dispel some myths. (He does this in the inaugural article of a Times Higher Education series "in which academics range beyond their area of expertise".) Of the ten...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 5:35 PM • 34 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Are some scientific disciplines more populated with shady characters than others?
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 12:42 PM • 13 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
It's been pretty quiet here. Not only have I been engrossed in preparations for the Spring semester (classes start today), but I also went to the 2008 NC Science Blogging Conference. So it seems like a good time to ruminate...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 1:36 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Following up on the earlier discussion here and at Chad's about the "fundamental difference" between chemistry and physics, I wanted to have a look at a historical moment that might provide some insight into the mood along the border between...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 11:03 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Over at Uncertain Principles, Chad Orzel tries to explain the fundamental difference between physics and chemistry: My take on this particular question is that there's a whole hierarchy of (sub)fields, based on what level of abstraction you work at. The...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 5:33 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This New York Times op-ed, to be precise. My questions for Paul Davies can be boiled down to these two: What kinds of explanations, precisely, are you asking science to deliver to you? Just why do you think it is...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 5:12 PM • 23 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
When I was growing up in New Jersey, hurricanes were "on the radar" for us, one of many possible (if infrequent) weather patterns during summer and fall. Later, in my first semester of college in Massachusetts, the morning of my...
Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 2:46 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
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