[Ssnet_list] [CFA] Beyond Anthropocentrism: Non-human Agents and Objects in Science

[Leah M Ceccarelli via Ssnet_list]

Spontaneous Generations<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.spontaneousgenerations.com/__;!!K-Hz7m0Vt54!m3478XcJGi6a961AmfKkOmSA6Sn2rwt_VcsSELXLxmtefVDxGWOQYsmQOUCGG2dmDax7FWbggWHQ5zT8m3lB95CB$>, graduate journal for the history and philosophy of science and technology at the University of Toronto, invites abstract submissions for 2025's issue on non-human agents and objects in science. We invite submissions from the history of science, philosophy of science, and science and technology studies broadly construed. A description of the issue's topic and submission details follows.

Traditional studies of science focus on human theorizing and human actions while viewing non-human factors as ancillary. Here, we aim to highlight the role of non-human objects and agents in science. How do non-humans contribute to or co-produce scientific knowledge? What kinds of science emerge from interactions with non-humans? What are the epistemological and practical implications of relegating non-human actors and natural processes to an ancillary role in scientific inquiry?

For this issue, we encourage authors to conceive of "non-humans" quite broadly: tools, machines, artifacts, animals, artworks, networks, algorithms, and more.

The following are some potential themes to explore:

  *   What makes an artifact a scientific tool? What epistemic role do tools play in science?
  *   Do animals, AI, or other non-human agents have knowledge?
  *   How do biological organisms shape how science is done?
  *   What is the role of biomimicry/biomimetics in the sciences?
  *   How have certain technologies reshaped how science is done throughout history?
  *   What are the relationships between instruments, measurements, and theory?
  *   How has science been represented in or inspired by art?
  *   To what degree are models in science autonomous from human agents?
  *   What are the epistemological implications of framing natural phenomena as optimization processes in nature-inspired algorithms?
  *   What are the disadvantages of predominantly anthropocentric science studies? What perspectives do non-human agents and objects add?

Please submit an abstract of less than 500 words by January 15, 2024, at the following link: https://forms.gle/cWQiEFRh8YTYV8VU8<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/forms.gle/cWQiEFRh8YTYV8VU8__;!!K-Hz7m0Vt54!m3478XcJGi6a961AmfKkOmSA6Sn2rwt_VcsSELXLxmtefVDxGWOQYsmQOUCGG2dmDax7FWbggWHQ5zT8mx3y7A6I$>

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of January 2025, and will be expected to submit a full paper of 8000 words or less by the end of March. The papers will then be peer-reviewed and publication is planned for summer 2025.

For any inquiries, please contact us at spontaneousgenerations2025 at gmail.com<mailto:spontaneousgenerations2025 at gmail.com>
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