programs
Biology and Society
The Center for Biology and Society promotes exploration of conceptual foundations and historical development of the biosciences and their diverse interactions with society. We engage in activities across multiple disciplines that allow opportunities for intellectual ferment and increased impact by creating research and educational collaborations and communication. Research programs in the Center focus around Bioethics, Policy, and Law and History and Philosophy of Science, as well as Responsible Conduct in Research. Specific current projects include the Carnap Project, Embryo Project, History and Philosophy of Systematics, and Neuroscience and Philosophy Project.
Faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, and staff researchers are involved in a number of major initiatives. Center faculty members have received significant National Science Foundation funding for our Embryo Project and Manfred Laubichler’s Twentieth Century CAREER Award. Jason Robert is supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation to explore neuroscience and ethics; Andrew Hamilton has received NSF funding to bring a postdoctoral fellow to collaborate on systematics issues; Richard Creath serves as editor for a major Carnap Editing Project funded by Open Court Press and the NSF; Ben Minteer has received NSF funding to explore issues of environmental ethics and ecology; and Stephen Pyne has received numerous grants and awards for his work on the social and cultural history of fire. The Center also runs the ASU-Marine Biological Laboratory Seminar in Woods Hole, MA, that brings together historians, biologists, policy makers, and other prominent researchers to discuss topics in the History and Philosophy of Science.