The Res Philosophica Conference is hosted by the Department of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. The themes are chosen by members of the Department, and the papers from the conference are published in a special issue of the journal.
2025 Conference: Pragmatism and Scientific Inquiry
The 2025 Res Philosophica Conference, titled Pragmatism and Scientific Inquiry, is organized by Kent Staley and will be held April 25-26 in the Pere Marquette Gallery in DuBourg Hall (221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103). Participants include Holly Andersen, Matthew Brown, Sharyn Clough, Sabina Leonelli, Joseph Rouse, and David Stump.
The pragmatist tradition in philosophy has, from its beginnings, placed the conduct of inquiry at the center of its philosophical projects. The process of inquiry consists of actions, but it also aims to produce knowledge. Consequently, pragmatists’ treatments of inquiry exemplify the tradition’s reluctance to separate in a fundamental way the theoretical from the practical and the epistemic from the pragmatic. In this conference, we aim to bring together scholars drawing upon – and criticizing – this philosophical tradition, to shed light on scientific inquiry while incorporating recent insights into scientific practices and the contexts of scientific inquiry.
The pragmatist tradition in philosophy has, from its beginnings, placed the conduct of inquiry at the center of its philosophical projects. The process of inquiry consists of actions, but it also aims to produce knowledge. Consequently, pragmatists’ treatments of inquiry exemplify the tradition’s reluctance to separate in a fundamental way the theoretical from the practical and the epistemic from the pragmatic. In this conference, we aim to bring together scholars drawing upon – and criticizing – this philosophical tradition, to shed light on scientific inquiry while incorporating recent insights into scientific practices and the contexts of scientific inquiry.
- Participants
- Program
- Registration
Tab 1
- Joseph Rouse
(Keynote: Wade Memorial Lecture)
- Holly Andersen
- Matthew Brown
- Sharyn Clough
- Sabina Leonelli
- David Stump
Tab 2
Pragmatism and Scientific Inquiry
Res Philosophica Conference at Saint Louis University
April 25-26, 2025
Pere Marquette Gallery (221 N. Grand Blvd. St.Louis, MO 63103), Saint Louis University
SCHEDULE
Friday, April 25
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:15 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Holly Andersen, Simon Fraser University
“Pragmatist Measurement and Positive Possibility”
10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Commentator: Marina DiMarco, Washington University
and Q&A
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Break
11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
David Stump, University of San Francisco
“Lessons from Pragmatism for Philosophers of Science: Nine Teachings and a Cautionary Tale”
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Commentator: Tom Kaspers, University of Chicago
and Q&A
12:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Lunch
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sharyn Clough, Oregon State University
“‘Half the Country is Crazy’: Polarized Science Policy as a Failure of Davidsonian Charity”
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Commentator Ge Fang, Washington University
and Q&A
3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Break
4:00 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Introduction to Wade Memorial Lecture by Scott Ragland, Chair, Saint Louis University Department of Philosophy
4:10 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Joseph Rouse, Wesleyan University
“Scientific Practice and Radical Naturalism” (Wade Memorial Lecture)
5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Q&A
Saturday, April 26
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Sabina Leonelli, Technical University of Munich
“Contrasting Visions of Inquiry in an Open Society” (via Zoom)
10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Commentator: Anya Plutynski, Washington University
and Q&A
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Matthew Brown, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
“What is Pragmatist about the New ‘Pragmatist’ Philosophy of Science?”
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Commentator: Zachary Mayne, University of Pittsburgh
and Q&A
12:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Lunch
Tab 3
We welcome anyone who wishes to attend sessions. Registration is free, but necessary.
Email coordinator@resphilosophica.org with "Registration" in the subject field.
For more information, contact Kent Staley at kent.staley@slu.edu.
Email coordinator@resphilosophica.org with "Registration" in the subject field.
For more information, contact Kent Staley at kent.staley@slu.edu.
Tab 4
2023 Conference: Alienation & the Virtues: Personal, Social, & Spiritual
The 2023 Res Philosophica Conference, titled Alienation and the Virtues: Personal, Social, and Spiritual, was organized by Greg Beabout and was March 30-31. Participants included Daniel De Haan, Celeste Harvey, F. Russell Hittinger, Anne Jeffrey, David McPherson, and John Stein, S.J.
2021 Conference: Globalizing Empirically-Informed Philosophy
The 2021 Res Philosophica Conference, titled Globalizing Empirically-Informed Philosophy, was organized by Helen De Cruz and was held online on November 18-19. Participants included Julianne N. Chung, Alexis Elder, Bryce Huebner, Nicholaos Jones, Edouard Machery, Ryan Nichols and Hagop Sarkissian. The papers were published in the January 2023 issue of the journal.
2019 Conference: Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice
The 2019 Res Philosophica Conference, titled Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice, was organized by Scott Berman and Chad Flanders and held March 22 at Saint Louis University. Participants included Tommie Shelby, Ekow Yankah, Erin Kelly, Eric Miller, Raff Donelson, Brandon Hogan and Myisha Cherry. The papers were published in the April 2020 issue of the journal.
2017 Conference: Race and Gender
The 2017 Res Philosophica Conference, titled Race and Gender, was held April 28–29 at Saint Louis University, and was organized by Colleen McCluskey. Speakers included Tina Botts,Tommy Curry, Lewis Gordon, Leonard Harris, Michele Moody-Adams, and Naomi Zack. The papers were published in the April 2018 issue of the journal.
2016 Conference: Bridging Formal and Traditional Epistemology
The 2016 Res Philosophica Conference, on formal and traditional epistemology, was held April 8–9 at Saint Louis University, and was organized by Joe Salerno. Speakers were Kenny Easwaran, Alan Hájek, Terry Horgan, Susanna Rinard, Sherri Roush, and Julia Staffel. The papers were published in the April 2017 issue of the journal.
2014 Conference: Transformative Experiences
The 2014 Res Philosophica Conference, on transformative experience, was held September 19–20 at Saint Louis University, and was organized by Jon Jacobs. Speakers were Rachael Briggs, Jennifer Carr, Ruth Chang, John Collins, and L. A. Paul. Those papers, among others, were published in the April 2015 issue of the journal.