Helen Longino (Born July 13, 1944) (Age 79)

By Geovany1220

  • B.A. English Literature

    Helen Longino first earned her B.A. in English Literature at Barnard College in 1966.

  • M.A. Philosophy

    Helen Longino earned her M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Sussex, England in 1973

  • PhD

    Helen Longino earned her PhD from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in 1973; her dissertation was about Interference and Scientific Discovery.
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    Teaching Career

    Helen Longino taught at several institutions like the University of California, San Diego (1973–1975), Mills College (1975–1990), Rice University (1990–1995), and the University of Minnesota (1995–2005) until she took a job at Stanford University where she was an advocate for women's rights and pushed to establish women's studies in many institutions. In this YouTube link, Helen talks of critical contextual empiricism, diversity, and inclusiveness. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XysYymrh7IE)

  • First Book, Science as Social Knowledge

    First Book, Science as Social Knowledge
    In her book "Science as Social Knowledge" (1990), Helen Longino aims to relate the social values of human society and how they are used to justify scientific knowledge as objective. In her writings, she argues that observations and data collected by scientists are not on their own empirically for or against any theory or hypothesis. She posits that data's relevance to any given hypothesis relies on human beliefs and assumptions about how certain data can support certain theories.

  • Second Book, The Fate of Knowledge

    Second Book, The Fate of Knowledge
    In her second book "The Fate of Knowledge" Helen Longino uses the diverse perspectives of philosophers and sociologists to turn hypotheses into scientific knowledge through analysis and scrutiny. Longino argues that scrutiny by those with diverse values can support the objectivity of science because although human values and beliefs seem to have nothing to do with science, they are key in maintaining the objectivity of scientific data and, in turn, any given hypotheses.

  • Robert K. Merton Professional Award

    In 2002, Longino's book The Fate of Knowledge (2001) received the Robert K. Merton Professional Award for best book from the Section for Science, Knowledge, and Technology of the American Sociological Association.

  • Third Book, Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality

    Third Book, Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality
    In her most recent work "Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality" Helen Longino observes 5 different approaches to human aggression and sexuality. By observing the distinct approaches, she views the types of knowledge that they produce and their goals. Longino argues that scientific knowledge would be of greater use to public policymakers if they accepted the understanding that different types of knowledge derive from different types of thinking.

  • Feminist Philosophy Prize

    In 2014, Longino's book Studying Human Behavior (2013) was awarded the Best Book in Feminist Philosophy Prize for 2014 by the Women's Caucus of the Philosophy of Science Association.

  • Fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science

    In 2016 Helen Longino was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018.