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Helen Longino
Helen Elizabeth Longino is an American philosopher and professor at Stanford University. Born July, 13 1944, her field of study is in philosophy of science, social epistemology, and feminist philosophy. She has recently completed her term as President of the Philosophy of Science Association. (Stanford University,) -
Contributions
Helen Longino has been recognized for her contributions to the philosophy of science because of her stance on social values in regards to the scientific theory. She has argued that social values are in fact are unable to be eliminated from theory in science, and because of that we should rewrite our ideals in order to incorporate this fact. -
Contributions
Longino values objectivity in science and argues that the use of traditional values instead of its alternative (e.g., simplicity instead of ontological heterogeneity) can lead to biases and adverse research results. Without including feministic perspectives for example, we are excluding an entire element to consider which can skew results. -
Publications
There are many well known works from Longino supporting her claims. The most well known and reviewed being 'Science as a Social Knowledge'(1990), 'The Fate of Knowledge'(2002), and 'Studying Human Behavior'(2013). -
Contributions
The argument Longino makes tells us that the value-free ideal is not attainable because moral and social values can legitimately play a role in determining which epistemic values scientists emphasize when they evaluate theories. This is not to say that science cannot be objective, but these factors should be considered when assessing and understanding hypotheses. -
Works Cited
“Helen Longino.” Helen Longino's Profile | Stanford Profiles, Stanford Universisty, profiles.stanford.edu/helen-longino?tab=publications. Harold Kincaid, et al. Value-Free Science : Ideals and Illusions? Oxford University Press, 2007. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=nlebk&AN=186506&site=ehost-live&scope=site. -
Works Cited
Reiss, Julian, and Jan Sprenger. “Scientific Objectivity.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 30 Oct. 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-objectivity/#EpisContValu. Rolin, K.H. Objectivity, trust and social responsibility. Synthese (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-020-02669-1