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| Featured Former Fellow Talk - Wayne MyrvoldJoin us for an online exclusive talk on Tuesday October 7th at 12pm EDT as Michael Tomasello, Duke University (Department of Psychology and Neuroscience), gives a talk on
"Agency and the Organization of Human Experience"
This online only talk can be viewed here on zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/96906545761
Michael was a visiting fellow at the Center in Spring 2012. Check out the link to below to learn more about the talk and find out what he is up to now.
Featured Former Fellow - Michael Tomasello - The Center for Philosophy of Science |
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| 66th Annual Lecture Series - Angela Potochnik
You are invited to attend a lecture by Angela Potochnik as part of our 66th Annual Lecture Series on Friday, October 10th, at 3:30 PM in the Cathedral of Learning room 1008.
Title: "Causes Don’t Push"
More information on the talk can be found here: Annual Lecture Series - Angela Potochnik - The Center for Philosophy of Science
She is a Professor of Philosophy, Head of the Philosophy Department, and Founding Director of the Center for Public Engagement with Scienceat University of Cincinnati.
Please not that while we will be streaming the talk, the Q&A portion of the lecture will be available only to the in-person audience. No registration is required, and the event is open to the public. Please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested
We look forward to seeing you there! |
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| A Population Doctrine in Neuroscience Workshop
Will be held at the Cathedral of Learning on 25th-26th October 2025.
Registration Link: Please Register by end of day 10/20 We are pleased to announce an interdisciplinary 2-day workshop held at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. The workshop will focus on topics related to a shift in neuroscience from the investigation of single neurons to populations of neurons. The investigation of single neurons has been supported by the so-called neuron doctrine, which posits the neuron as the fundamental structural and functional unit of the nervous system. As the focus moves away from single neurons and toward populations of neurons, some have called for a new, population doctrine. But the conceptual and methodological commitments of a potential population doctrine, as well as its significance, remain underexplored. The goal of the workshop is to arrive at an interdisciplinary perspective on the nature and significance of the population doctrine and its relation to what came before. In particular, we aim to bring neuroscientists, philosophers, and historians together to answer the following questions: -What is the population doctrine? How is it related to the neuron doctrine? -What are the conceptual, explanatory, ontological, and methodological commitments of the population doctrine? For example, -Are population level measures and analyses simply providing a more compact representation of neural activity or are they providing unique insights that are not otherwise accessible? -What are the explanatory advantages of population measures over single-unit measures? -Does the form of explanation change or is the population doctrine just “more of the same”?
More information on the event is located here: A Population Doctrine in Neuroscience Workshop - The Center for Philosophy of Science |
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| Call for Abstracts - Extended Deadline! Now 11/1Abstracts submissions are currently being accepted for the Center's Spring 2026 Conference. Submission Instructions: Please prepare an anonymized abstract for a 20-minute talk addressing one of the questions asked above or a related issue. Abstracts of no more than 1000 words should be emailed as a PDF to causalmodeli...@causation.science Please include your contact information in the body of the email. Deadline for Submissions: November 1st, 2025
Learn more about the conference here: To Be or Not to Be Included in a Causal Model - The Center for Philosophy of Science |
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New Publication - Margaret Farrell The Center for Philosophy of Science is proud to congratulate Postdoctoral Fellow Margaret Farrell on the publication of her new article in Biology & Philosophy: “What would imagine ancestors do? Thought experiments and plausibility in human cognitive evolution.” Read the full article here: Springer Link Make sure to watch her upcoming talk on the same topic on Tuesday October 14th at 12pm EDT – Lunchtime Talk – Margaret Farrell – The Center for Philosophy of Science
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| The Departments of History and Philosophy of Science and the Department of Philosophy proudly present a talk by Tusar Menon (MIT).
Title:
The World(s) According to Quantum Mechanics
Abstract:
Quantum theories are difficult, and insights into the worlds they model are hard-won. The quantum state tells us about values that some physical magnitudes can and cannot take, which suggests a nomological-modal reading. The quantum state is the central dynamical entity of quantum theories, which suggests a descriptive reading. The quantum state is a repository of objective statistical facts about physical systems, which suggests an advisory reading. Frustratingly, these readings sit uncomfortably together, and interpretations of the quantum state
typically give one of them up. The goal of this talk is to take seriously all of these insights about the quantum state, set up a framework for their reconciliation, and offer a diagnosis of the source of their apparent incompatibility. That diagnosis is that the incompatibility is forced on us only if we adopt an interpretative strategy that I call relational. A diagnosis is most helpful when it is
accompanied by a remedy. I propose one: we should instead adopt an interpretative strategy that I call investigative. I argue that the investigative strategy is the resource we need to answer the question of what the world is like according to quantum mechanics.
Cathedral of Learning - Room 1008
Friday, October 24, 2025, 3:30 pm
Tushar was a visiting fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science during the Fall term of 2024. |
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| Visiting Fellows 2026-27 We look forward to sharing future announcements regarding the application process for our Visiting Fellows program for the 2026–27 academic year. We are pleased to tentatively announce Nick Huggett as the Senior Visiting Fellow for that year.
Check our website here for more information - Overview - The Center for Philosophy of Science
We expect the application to be available by September/October 2025.
Deadline for application submission will be early/mid-December. A final date will be announced soon. |
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| 5-Minute Fellow Series
Learn more about our current fellows' work at the Center in their own words.
Our first several fellow's videos will be up this month. Check our social media to learn exactly when they will be live on YouTube (@centerphilsci).
Check out our past videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg/ |
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| Step Into the Center’s History! From groundbreaking ideas to unforgettable moments, the Center’s legacy is built on the people who’ve shaped it over the years. Take a stroll down memory lane with us—explore our archived photo albums and see how far we’ve come: Center for Philosophy of Science ::: photo album |
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| Conversations at the Center - A Podcast
The Center proudly presents its Podcast: Conversations at the Center!
Held on both YouTube and Spotify, tune in for discussions of Philosophy and Science and more!
Our host, Edouard Machery, Director of the Center, leads the episodes with our fellows, faculty, and guest speakers.
Spotify Link
Youtube Link |
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| Follow on Social Media!
Stay up to date on all the events and other happenings of the Center by following our social media accounts. @center4philsci |
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| Sign up for our Newsletter!
Stay up to date on all the events and other happenings of the Center by using our Weekly Newsletter
Click Here to sign up |
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| Feedback
We always appreciate feedback! We want to deliver effective and engaging content and in the best format possible!
Please let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions for us at pitt...@pitt.edu. |
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