-
Period: to
Helen Longino
Helen Longino was born in 1944 and is currently Stanford University's Clarence Irving Lewis Professor of Philosophy. She has made a significant contribution to social and feminist epistemology through her outstanding research, and was the president of the Philosophy of Science Association from 2013 to 2014. She is known for her ideas on how social connections and aspects should be recognized as a component of learning scientific information. -
Helen Longino's Education
Helen Longino graduated from Barnard College with a bachelor's degree in 1966, earned her master's in philosophy from the University of Sussex in 1967, and then went on to get a Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1973. Afterward, she taught at various universities, including the University of California in San Diego, where she started her academic career in 1973, and began her journey towards becoming a pioneer in the field of feminist philosophy. -
Feminist Philosophy
Longino's first works concentrated on feminist philosophy, particularly the ways in which gender biases might affect scientific inquiry. Her 1990 book "Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry" makes the case that scientific research is intrinsically social and that social elements like gender, ethnicity and class impact scientific knowledge. Her work shed light on how scientific knowledge is influenced by social variables vs. being impartial or objective. -
Science as Social Knowledge
In her book, Longino argues that scientific objectivity involves a complicated relationship between social and cognitive values, that it's not enough to "avoid" prejudice. That scientific inquiry is shaped by the beliefs and views of the culture in which it takes place. For example, she points out how gender prejudices might affect scientific research, such as the exclusion of women from clinical studies. -
Studying Human Behavior
She's also dedicated to the philosophy of biology, particularly on the challenges of studying complex biological systems. In this book, she challenges reductionist views, which try to explain biological phenomena in terms of simple physical or chemical processes, and argues that biological systems are complex and dynamic, that understanding them requires a more holistic approach that takes into account the various interactions and feedback loops that occur within them. -
Educational Video
The following is one of Longino's lectures at Western University on April 16, 2015. https://youtu.be/631gObE7ctA -
Awards and Honors
Carl G. Hempel Award for Lifetime Achievement, Philosophy of Science Association (November 12, 2022)
Romanell Prize, American Philosophical Association (2020)
Distinguished Teaching Award, Phi Beta Kappa Beta of California (June, 2019)
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2017)
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (April, 2016 -)
Doctor honoris causa, Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (20 October, 2014) https://profiles.stanford.edu/helen-longino -
Helen Longino's influence
Longino has taught and mentored many generations of aspiring scholars throughout her career. Her dedication has aided in the development of a thriving academic community of researchers incorporating feminist philosophy and allied fields. Her work has been instrumental in developing feminist critiques of science, which challenge traditional notions of scientific objectivity and recognize the social dimensions of scientific inquiry, stressing that scientific inquiry benefits from diversity. -
References
Longino, Helen E. "The Fate of Knowledge." Princeton University Press, 2002. Longino, Helen E. "Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry." Princeton University Press, 1990. Anderson, Elizabeth, and Heather Douglas. "Feminist Philosophy of Science." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, 2018. Longino, Helen. "Profile Page." Stanford Profiles, Stanford University, https://profiles.stanford.edu/helen-longino.