Isabelle Stengers: Cosmopolitics - Learning to Think with Sciences, Peoples and Natures
Video available HERE
Podcast available HERE
Podcast also available HERE
Interview with Situating Science Director Gordon McOuat in Open File article "Drawing Science and Humanities Together with Situating Science" HERE
Renowned Belgium philosopher of science, Isabelle Stengers, Université libre de Bruxelles, visits Halifax for a series of conversations as part of the "To See Where it Takes Us" series March 5-9, 2012 detailed below.
KEYNOTE:
COSMOPOLITICS: LEARNING TO THINK WITH SCIENCES, PEOPLES AND NATURES
Keynote presentation of the “To See Where It Takes Us” conversation series.
MONDAY MARCH 5, 2012
7:30PM AST / 6:30PM EST
SCOTIABANK THEATRE, SOBEY BUILDING, SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY
903 ROBIE ST.
STREAMED LIVE ONLINE at WWW.LIVESTREAM.COM/SITUSCI
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ONLINE STREAM, STARTING 6:30PM EST / 7:30PM AST
Professor Stengers’ keynote address will examine sciences and the consequences of what has been called progress. Is it possible to reclaim modern practices, to have them actively taking into account what they felt entitled to ignore in the name of progress? Or else, can they learn to “think with” instead of define and judge?
Trained as a chemist, Professor Stengers received the grand prize for philosophy from the Académie Française and has collaborated and published with, among others, Nobel Prize winning chemist Ilya Prigogine and renowned sociologist of science Bruno Latour. Her books include: Order out of Chaos (with I. Prigogine), A History of Chemistry (with B. Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent), Power and Invention, The Invention of Modern Science, Cosmopolitics I & II, Capitalist Sorcery (with Philipple Pignarre), and Thinking with Whitehead.
This event is the keynote presentation of “TO SEE WHERE IT TAKES US”, a series of conversations with philosopher of science Isabelle Stengers March 5-9, 2012. Details for the conversations can be found below.
Free event
Reception to follow
The keynote and conversations are generously supported by:
Dalhousie University’s Evolution Studies Group and Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, the History of Science and Technology and Contemporary Studies Programs at the University of King’s College, the Situating Science Atlantic Node and the Department of Philosophy at Saint Mary’s University.
CONVERSATIONS:
“To See Where it Takes Us”
March 5-9, 2012
Halifax, NS, Canada
Limited space.
For suggested background readings, please contact Brian Noble or Eric Smith for suggested background readings at: bnoble[@]dal.ca or Eric.L.Smith[@]Dal.Ca
Mon, Mar 5, 10:30-12:00 pm
“Conversing between Isabelle Stengers and Bruno Latour”
Visiting Dr. Georgy Levit’s “Science & Culture” class, students plus guests from the research community
Archibald Room, New Academic Building, University of King’s College.
Tues, Mar 6, 10:00-11:15 am
“Conversations with Isabelle Stengers on Cosmopolitics and Non-dualism”
Visiting Dr. Melanie Frappier’s and Dr. Lisa Gannet’s class on “Objectivity”
Peter Wilson Common Room, New Academic Building, University of King’s College.
Wed, Mar 7th , 10:30-11:45 am
“Conversations on Animism, Animals, Responsiveness with Isabelle Stengers, Simon Gadbois and Brian Noble”
McCulloch Museum, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University.
Th., Mar 8th , 12:30-1:30 pm
“Conversations Across Feminist Theory, Disciplines, Activisms / International Women’s Day”
Letitia Meynell (Philosophy) organizing; participants Isabelle Stengers, Susan Sherwin (Philosophy), Afua Cooper (Sociology and History).
Senior Common Room, University of King's College
Friday, Mar 9th, 10:30-11:45 am
"Conversations on Obligation, Treaty, Assemblage"
Michael Asch and Isabelle Stengers
Lord Dalhousie Room, Henry Hicks Building Dalhousie.
More on Distinguished Guest: Professor Isabelle Stengers
Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Dr. Stengers has for some 30 years offered one of the most thorough and tenacious reconsiderations of the history and practice of sciences. For Stengers, the sciences and their objects (or their natures), and our human involvements with these are situated in a continuously fluid relationship or “ecology”. Sciences, natures and peoples, therefore, should be seen as engaged in “conversations with” one another rather than as wholly separated. Hence the allusion to “cosmopolitics” in Stengers’ work.
These conversations raise crucial questions about the status of our obligations with knowledges of “the world” as we variously know it and participate in it. The week of colloquia is set up, therefore, as a series of conversations, “to see where it takes us”.
