Professor Helen E. Longino (Stanford University, USA) will give a public lecture titled Epistemological, Ontological, Social Quandaries in the Sciences of Human Behavior. The lecture takes place on Tuesday 9th of April at 2 pm – 4 pm (Publicum, lecture hall PUB 4 at Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 University of Turku, Department of Social Research).
The themes of the lecture originate from Professor Longino’s recently published book Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression & Sexuality (The University of Chicago Press, 2013). A quotation from the book’s blurb: “Longino dissects five approaches to the study of behavior – quantitative behavior genetics, molecular behavior genetics, neurophysiology and anatomy, social/environmental methods, and a set of integrative approaches – highlighting the underlying assumptions of these disciplines, as well as the different questions and mechanisms each addresses. Longino concludes that there is no single ‘correct’ approach, arguing instead for a pluralistic perspective that recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of each.”
Helen E. Longino is Clarence Irving Lewis Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Stanford University. She is one of the key figures in the research field known as social epistemology. Longino’s publications include the books Science as Social Knowledge and The Fate of Knowledge.
For further information concerning the lecture please contact Seppo Poutanen (seppou at utu.fi).