Visiting Speaker Series

The Distinguished Speaker Series invites distinguished scholarsÌýto present their work in the history and philosophy of science. The Allan Franklin New Ideas Speaker Series invites junior scholars to present their work in the history and philosophy of science. It is named in honor of Allan Franklin, for his decades of unparalleled contributions to the history and philosophy of science. Dr. Franklin is best known for his work on the methods of physics.

Upcoming Schedule for AY 24/25:

  • December 6, 3:30pm: Distinguished Speaker: (Boston University), "The Geodetic & Metrological Roots of C.S. Peirce’s Pragmatism"
    • Abstract: Although Charles S. Peirce is widely recognized as a central figure in the history of philosophy, what is lesser known is that his primary profession was as a geodesist, who devoted his career to improving the precision and accuracy of surface measurements of Earth’s gravity. Peirce joined the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey straight out of college and was actively involved in researching and writing on this topic up until his death. Peirce’s work in geodesy was intimately intertwined with the development of metrology (the science of measurement), and Peirce contributed to its rise both within the U.S. and internationally. In this talk I will argue that Peirce’s work in geodesy and metrology is a critical, but surprisingly underappreciated, source of influence on his pragmatic philosophy. In particular, I will examine the influence of this scientific work on his fallibilism (a term Peirce coined), error classification, dynamical view of accuracy, and social epistemology. I will conclude by drawing some lessons from Peirce’s philosophy for thinking about science today.
  • January 31: New Ideas Speaker, (Johns Hopkins) TBA
  • March 14: New Ideas Speaker,ÌýÌý(Stockholm University) TBA
  • April 11: Distinguished Speaker: (University of Edinburgh) TBA