Issue No.49, March 1995 (ISSN 0158 9040)

Edited by Tim Sherratt on behalf of AAHPSSS.

Science and Civility

A Conference/Workshop with Professor Steven Shapin, 16-18 June 1995.

With such titles as "Epistemological Decorum", "Certainty and Civility", "Invisible Technicians" and "Who Was Then a Gentleman?", the chapters of Steven Shapin's latest book A Social History of Truth (1994) provide a provoking and fresh exploration of issues now central to debates in the history and historiography of science. How do we come to trust our knowledge of the world? Why do we assent to certain observational statements over others? What makes some persons more credible than others?

In what is already being hailed as a classic in the field, Shapin's elegant and dazzling study of the culture and practice of seventeenth-century natural philosophy suggests that a key to understanding the resolution of problems of knowledge in early modern England is to be found in codes of civility, gentility and gentlemanliness.

The purpose of this conference/workshop is to consider some of the central themes of this book in the company of its author. Invited papers will range widely - some confronting the topics and approaches in the book, others, prompted by Shapin's work, presenting new historical materials - and the emphasis will be on informality, lively debate, and, indeed, civility.

Steven Shapin is presently Professor of Sociology and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego, and is the author of numerous influential texts in the history and sociology of science. During June 1995 he will be Visiting Scholar at the Unit for the History and Philosophy of Science (University of Sydney); he will be offering two talks at the conference along with a special workshop on recent developments in the sociology of science, designed for postgraduate students.

The conference/workshop takes place at Jemby-Rinjah Lodge on Evans Lookout Road, Blackheath. It is a spectacular setting for an informal conference of this kind, and there should be plenty of time for social events, for walks (an organised bush walk is available on the morning of the 18th), and for relaxation. The conference venue is set in natural bushland, and its architecture and philosophy complement its surroundings well. The cosy comfort of its cabin-style "Eco-lodges", with bathroom and lounges, the open log fire and the excellent meals on offer provide a near-perfect environment for this conference.

Registration for the conference is at l0.00am, Saturday, 17 June. A registration fee of $30 is payable. For delegates arriving at this time the costs are as follows: $160 (single room, where available); $130 (shared accommodation). This includes all meals and snacks (but not alcoholic beverages). The Lodge is BYO; drinks for Saturday evening's Conference Dinner will, however, be provided free of charge (within limits) by the Unit for HPS. Bursaries are available from the Unit for HPS. Please direct enquiries to Dr Michael Shortland.

Should you prefer to arrive on Friday in the late afternoon, accommodation can be arranged for you at an additional cost of $65 per person. This will include accommodation, a three-course dinner and hot country-style breakfast.

Blackheath is one-and-a-half hours from Sydney by car. If you are taking the train, the 7.32am train departs from Central Station and will arrive at Blackheath station at 9.43am. Transportation from Blackheath station to the Lodge is available. If required, please indicate on registration form. Amongst those we hope will be participating in the conference/workshop are Stephen Gaukroger (Philosophy, University of Sydney), Keith Hutchison (HPS, University of Melbourne), Peter Anstey (Philosophy, University of Sydney), Alan Chalmers (HPS, University of Sydney), Peter Harrison (History, Bond University), Ray Younis (Centre for Continuing Education, University of Sydney), Richard Yeo (Humanities, Griffith University) and Iain McCalman (Humanities, Australian National University).

Topics covered during the meeting will include medical quackery and eighteenth-century political culture; Nietzsche and science; self-fashioning in early nineteenth-century science; the Enlightenment and its critics, and Boyle's theology - a range that reflects the rich scope of A Social History of Truth.

Offers of talks and papers are invited and should be sent to Dr Michael Shortland, Unit for History and Philosophy of Science F07, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006. Registrations close 31 May 1995.