The volume “Ensaios sobre o conhecimento científico“, edited by Pietro Gori, has recently been published, collecting selected texts by Mary Hesse translated into Portuguese for the first time.
The essays published in this volume outline the theoretical path developed by Mary Hesse and show the challenges that her view of scientific knowledge pose for contemporary philosophy. As much as the work of well-known authors such as Paul Feyerabend and Thomas Kuhn, Hesse’s philosophical reflections stimulated the debate on the value and limits of scientific knowledge and contributed to the development of a broader approach to classic questions in the philosophy of science, an approach that includes methodologies and theoretical content from other disciplines: primarily the history of science, but also sociology and hermeneutics.
Further information on the volume can be found here.
During the meeting will be launched the book “Ensaios sobre o conhecimento científico” (Colibri, Lisboa; ed. P. Gori), that collects key papers on scientific knowledge by Mary Hesse, translated for the first time into portuguese.
The meeting will take place at the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon, room 6.2.44, starting 4 PM.
The symposium has been organized by María de Paz, bringing together four different perspectives on Hesse, to discuss her work on the occasion of the centenary of her birth. The papers will focus on major themes explored by Hesse, as well as on her philosophical background:
– “Wittgenstein and Hesse on Metaphors and Family Resemblance” by David Hommen; – “Mary Hesse to the Rescue in Contemporary Realism Debates” by Laura Bujalance Fernández-Quero; – “Hesse’s Modified Realism and Science as a Process” by María de Paz and María J. Gutiérrez-Márquez; – “Expanding the Epistemological Framework of Natural Science: Mary Hesse (and Thomas Kuhn) on Hermeneutics, Translation, and Interpretation” by Pietro Gori.
The aim of the Symposium is to explore the relationship of pragmatist philosophy with both science and scientism throughout the history of the tradition, from Peirce’s analysis of the representation and implementation of scientific concepts to Brandom’s contemporary pragmatic reappropriation of Hegelian epistemology for the understanding of scientific theories.
The programme of the conference “The Value of Scientific Representation. Classic Issues and Contemporary Challenges”, is out! Take a look at it at this link.
The conference takes place at the NOVA University of Lisbon on June 21st-22nd, 2023.
Organized within the activities of the research project “Mary B. Hesse’s ‘new epistemology’. Principles and Legacy” (FCT/IFILNOVA), The conference aims to explore issues from the current debate on scientific representation that may be – directly or indirectly – connected with Mary B. Hesse’s theoretical understanding of science. On a general level, the speakers will engage with open questions related with the value of the scientific world-explanation from a variety of viewpoints that shall not be limited to a philosophical or linguistic analysis of the issues explored, but may also involve contributions devoted to classic figures of the history and philosophy of science.
The paper titled “The Perspectival Realist features of Ernst Mach’s Critical Epistemology“ has a twofold aim. On the one hand, it explores the extent to which Mach was inspired by Kant’s approach to philosophical inquiry and tried to further elaborate it through his historico-critical method for enlightening scientific knowledge claims. On the other hand, it argues that the focus on the situated character of these claims that is implied in Mach’s epistemology makes it possible to compare his view to recent attempts to defend a perspectival realist account of scientific knowledge, thus revealing the relevance of Mach’s own approach as a methodology in the philosophy of science.
As previously announced, on September 26, 3-5 PM (London/Lisbon time), we will host a session with Michela Massimi, who will present her newly published book on Perspectival Realism.
Anyone who is based in Lisbon can join the session at Colégio Almada Negreiros / Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Room 209.
For those who are not in Lisbon and would like to attend online, free registration is required through this form. The link to the Zoom session will be sent the day before the event.
Michela Massimi‘s book on Perspectival Realism is finally out and available in open access! You can download it at this link.
The book addresses relevant issues for our research project. For that reason, we are organizing a hybrid book launch with Michela Massimi, on September 26, 2022. Save the date and stay tuned for more information about it!
