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Early Life
She was born July 13, 1944, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Charles and Helen Longino. Early on, she became frustrated with the unfair overrepresentation of male scientific inquiry and the underrepresentation of female thought in all scientific investigation. -
Education
After receiving an undergraduate degree from Barnard College in 1966, Helen studied at the University of Sussex and Johns Hopkins University, earning her MA in 1967 and Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1973. Throughout her life, Helen has worked to understand how and if social values may be expressed in scientific reasoning. -
Science as Social Knowledge
In her first book, "Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry," Longino laments her frustrations with the lack of conversation on the relationship between social values and scientific inquiry and formulates her philosophy of scientific inquiry as a social process rather than an individual. In the book, she shows how assumptions and social values affect an individual's interpretation, presentation, and data description.
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The Fate of Knowledge
In this revolutionary book, Longino's feminist values shine, and she attacks the scientific establishment for the devaluation, social injustice, cognitive failure, and discrimination, primarily against women but also against racial minorities. Longino argues for inclusivity in science and rallies for the diversification of thought in scientific inquiry. -
Studying Human Behavior
In this book, Longino deep dives and examines the methodological approaches to studying human behaviors. She analyzes the nature versus nurture debate and dismisses it as too simplistic. Further, she questions whether we even share an ontological understanding of behaviors. -
PSA President
In 2013, as a result of her great feminist and sociology research contributions, she served as the Philosophy of Science Association's President for a year. -
Works Cited
Kukla, R. (2016, October 25). Helen Longino, studying human behavior: How scientists investigate aggression and sexuality, University of Chicago Press, 2013R. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://kiej.georgetown.edu/helen-longino-studying-human-behavior-how-scientists-investigate-aggression-and-sexuality-university-of-chicago-press-2013/ -
Works Cited Continued
Longino, H. E. (2020, March 31). Science as social knowledge. De Gruyter. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691209753/html
University of Chicago. (2022, February 2). Helen Longino. Woman is a Rational Animal. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://womanisrational.uchicago.edu/2022/02/02/helen-longino/