Hannah Anderson

(Dis)Interested Investigators: Understanding the Scientist-Subject Relationship in Biology

The way a biologist views their study subject is epistemically significant. This project analyzes how a biologist’s engagement with and interest in their subject might influence the ways they create knowledge and respond to ignorance.

Keywords: philosophy of biology; social epistemology; the “research relationship”, “states of interest”

Drawn Conclusions: The Methodological Significance of Biological Illustration

Drawing has been – and still is – an important part of biological research. Drawing, however, is rarely integrated into scientific analysis. This project argues for the importance of drawing as a scientific method in itself.

Keywords: scientific method; biological illustration; epistemology; abstraction; idealization

Evolutionary Openness and Health-Care Needs

The just distribution of health-care services is an important program of work in human societies. Understanding what it means for a human to “need” certain types of health care is an important part of that program. This project critiques how evolutionary theory is used to identify human health care “needs”.

Keywords: needs-based health care; justice; evolutionary theory; species normal; species concept approaches

Muddy Notebooks: Field Work, Field Notes, and Wild Writing

The concept of “field work” is familiar across the sciences. This project seeks to understand the close ties between field work and wild writing, both in the sciences and in the arts. We hold that the practice of creating field notes offers a unique case study for understanding field work as both a scientific and creative practice.

Keywords: field research; wild writing; social epistemology; field ecology

Co-Author: C. C. Ryan