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Are there questions that science can answer with certainty? Practicing scientists have developed technical tools for quantifying the confidence they have in their results, as well as implicit habits for distinguishing “established” science from developments still under debate. These developments give scientists confidence in their work, but it has proven difficult to consistently communicate the subtleties of their confidence to non-experts. In addition, as scientists often focus on cutting-edge and disputed topics, they are less reflective about the confidence and certainty they have in more foundational scientific claims, for instance: the existence of electrons, DNA, or cells. Philosophers of science have engaged in a wide-ranging debate on the nature of scientific claims and whether they can attain real certainty and truth, but this conversation is often foreign to practicing scientists.This conference investigates the issues of uncertainty, confidence, and truth in various scientific disciplines and in the philosophy of science. In particular, we will investigate whether classical Aristotelian and Thomistic notions such as demonstration and necessity, as applied to the natural world, can contribute to the contemporary conversation about truth and certainty in the sciences.
All registration costs, food, lodging and activities are covered by the Thomistic Institute.
Applications are due by March 31.
Learn more and apply: https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events/fifth-annual-thomistic-philosophy-and-natural-science-symposium
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Washington, D.C., United States
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