Best Steven Patton Podcasts (2025)

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S5 E11 - Steven Shapin on the Social Life of Scientific Knowledge 50:24

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2M ago50:24

50:24

This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Steven Shapin, Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at Harvard. Shapin reflects on his path into the history and sociology of science and discusses the central concerns of his work: how knowledge is produced, the social foundations of trust in science, the embodied nature of knowledge, and the performan…

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S5 E10 - Cordelia Fine on "Patriarchy Inc" 52:57

3M ago52:57

52:57

This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Cordelia Fine — psychologist, award-winning writer, and professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne. Cordelia is one of today’s leading voices on how science and society shape our understandings of gender. In the conversation, Cordelia discusses her new book Patri…

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S5 E9 - Miriam Solomon on How Stigma Shapes Psychiatry 26:09

3M ago26:09

26:09

This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Miriam Solomon, Professor of Philosophy at Temple University and a leading voice in philosophy of science, medicine, and psychiatry. Solomon reflects on her intellectual trajectory, from her early studies in the natural sciences at Cambridge and her doctoral work at Harvard, to her later contributions…

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S5 E8 - Philip Kitcher on Philosophy for Science and the Common Good 47:35

4M ago47:35

47:35

This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Philip Kitcher, John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Columbia University and one of the most influential philosophers of science of the past half-century. Kitcher traces his intellectual journey from his early years at Cambridge and Princeton, where he studied with Thomas Kuhn, Carl Hempel, …

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S5 E7 - Lydia Patton on HOPOS 34:51

4M ago34:51

34:51

This week, Thomas Spiteri is in conversation with Professor Lydia Patton, philosopher of science and historian of the philosophy of science. Patton traces her unexpected journey from ballet to Kantian philosophy and into the emerging field of HOPOS (history of philosophy of science). She reflects on her years as editor-in-chief of the HOPOS journal…

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S5 E6 - Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on ‘Rethinking our Starting Assumptions’ 29:17

4M ago29:17

29:17

“I love your field. It is making such an important point about scientists who don't understand the extent to which our own upbringing impacts our starting assumptions. It's those starting assumptions that get you in trouble.” In today’s episode Samara Greenwood returns to interview the pioneering primatologist and evolutionary anthropologist, Sarah…

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S5 E5 - Cristian Larroulet Philippi on Measurement in the Human Sciences 28:59

5M ago28:59

28:59

This week, Thomas Spiteri is joined by Dr. Cristian Larroulet Philippi, who joins us at the University of Melbourne this year as the inaugural RW Seddon Fellow in the History and Philosophy of Science program. With a background in economics and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge, Larroulet Philippi was previ…

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S5 E4 - Heather Douglas on Rethinking Science’s Social Contract 46:27

5M ago46:27

46:27

This week on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri is in conversation with internationally recognised philosopher of science and professor at Michigan State University, Heather Douglas. Heather’s work has transformed how philosophers and scientists think about values, responsibility, and the relationship between science and society. In recognition of her…

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S5 E3 - Hans-Jörg Rheinberger on 'Epistemic Things' 29:00

5M ago29:00

29:00

Today on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri talks with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, distinguished historian and philosopher of science and Director Emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Trained first in philosophy and then in molecular biology, Rheinberger is well-recognised for his work on the history and epistemology o…

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S5 E2 - Surekha Davies on Humans: A Monstrous History 19:37

5M ago19:37

19:37

Today on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Dr. Surekha Davies, historian of science, art and ideas, and author of the new book Humans: A Monstrous History (University of California Press). Surekha’s research explores how ideas about humanity have been shaped by encounters with what did not seem to fit. She draws on visual, material and te…

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S5 E1 - Samara and Thomas: Reflections and Roads Ahead 30:42

5M ago30:42

30:42

After a short break, The HPS Podcast is back! Season 5 opens with a special handover episode. After several years as lead host, Samara Greenwood passes the mic to fellow PhD candidate Thomas Spiteri. Together, they look back on the podcast’s journey, what it has meant to them, and where it’s headed next. Hear from Samara and Thomas as they: Introdu…

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Audience Faves: Daston & Harrison on 'Scientists and History' 30:57

8M ago30:57

30:57

In the lead up to the launch of Season 5, we at The HPS Podcast are re-releasing some favourite episodes from our collection. In this episode Professors Lorraine Daston and Peter Harrison talk to Samara Greenwood on the often complex, sometimes fraught relationship between practicing scientists and the history of science. This episode was originall…

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Audience Faves: Hasok Chang on 'Epistemic Iteration' 35:05

8M ago35:05

35:05

In the lead up to the launch of Season 5, we at The HPS Podcast are re-releasing some favourite episodes from our collection. In this episode, Professor Hasok Chang talks with Samara Greenwood about his concept of 'Epistemic Iteration', the idea that scientific inquiries do not start from a solid foundation, but rather begin from an imperfect posit…

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Audience Faves: Kristian Camilleri on 'The Disunity of Science' 24:30

8M ago24:30

24:30

In the lead up to the launch of Season 5, we at The HPS Podcast are re-releasing some favourite episodes from our collection. First, we have Dr Kristian Camilleri talking with Samara Greenwood about the relatively recent realisation that this thing we call 'Science' is a less unified phenomena then is typically supposed. The 'disunity' becomes clea…

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Audience Faves: Rachael Brown on 'Values in Science' 25:25

8M ago25:25

25:25

In the lead up to the launch of Season 5, we at The HPS Podcast are re-releasing some favourite episodes from our collection. In this episode we have Dr Rachael Brown talking to Samara Greenwood on challenge the common idea that Science is (and should be) 'Value-Free'. At a practical level, in choosing which phenomena to study, and how best to stud…

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S4 Ep 12 - Joshua Eisenthal et al. on 'Philosophy of Science in Practice' 28:42

1y ago28:42

28:42

Today we have not one, not two, but five fabulous guests who all presented at this year’s conference for the Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, or SPSP24 for short. Many philosophers of science we have featured on the podcast, including Hasok Chang, Rachel Ankeny and Sabina Leonelli, were founding members of SPSP. Also, our earlier epis…

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S4 Ep 11 - Redux: Fiona Fidler on 'Collective Objectivity' 20:41

1y ago20:41

20:41

"It wouldn’t make sense to leave the entire burden of upholding objectivity in science on the shoulders of fallible individuals, right?" Prof. Fiona Fidler Today, we return to one of our favourite episodes, with the person who first came up with the idea for our podcast – Professor Fiona Fidler. Fiona is head of our History and Philosophy of Scienc…

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S4 Ep 10 - Erika Milam on 'Colloquial Science' 30:02

1y ago30:02

30:02

"These conversations are the focus of fierce debate, not because scientists lack authority, but because these are the intellectual battles worth fighting. These are the stakes on which modern society depends" Our guest today is Erika Milam, Charles C. and Emily R. Gillispie Professor in the History of Science at Princeton University. Through her re…

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S4 Ep 9 - Holden Thorp on 'Teach History and Philosophy of Science' 30:35

1y ago30:35

30:35

“This is Holden Thorp. I'm the Editor in Chief of Science and thanks to Sam and Carmelina for all they're doing to get the word out about the history and philosophy of science” Today's guest is Holden Thorp, professor of chemistry at George Washington University and Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals. In April of this year, Holden pu…

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S4 Ep 8 - Nicole C. Nelson on 'Ethnographies of Science' 27:28

1y ago27:28

27:28

Today, Carmelina is joined by Dr. Nicole C. Nelson, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical History and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nicole is an ethnographer of science and a familiar face to many within both Science and Technology Studies, and Metascience. Today, Nicole explains how ethnographic studies can help us t…

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S4 Ep 7 - Naomi Oreskes on 'Writing on Ignorance' 35:41

1y ago35:41

35:41

"In response to that article, I was getting hate mail. I was getting attacked. I thought, these people have a script. This is a story that people need to understand. This isn't just something of academic interest. This is something that has real political and cultural consequences." Today's very special guest is acclaimed historian of science, Prof…

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S4 Ep 6 - Jen Martin on 'Communicating Science' 28:30

1y ago28:30

28:30

"Doing the thing is not the whole thing, it's also the sharing it with the audiences who either need it or are simply interested in it...science isn't finished until it's communicated" Our guest today is Associate Professor Jen Martin. Jen leads the University of Melbourne’s acclaimed Science Communication Teaching program and is passionate about h…

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S4 Ep 5 - Edouard Machery on 'Experimental Philosophy' 28:14

1y ago28:14

28:14

Today our guest presenter Thomas Spiteri is joined by Professor Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s HPS department and director of the Center for Philosophy of Science. Edouard, a leading figure in experimental philosophy (X-Phi), shares insights into the X-Phi movement, which integrates empirical methods into…

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S4 Ep 4 - Darrin Durant on 'Expertise' 28:18

1y ago28:18

28:18

Today Carmelina is joined by Dr Darrin Durant a Senior Lecturer in HPS at the University of Melbourne specialising in Science and Technology studies. Darrin's research covers two seemingly distinct areas: nuclear energy and expertise. Yet nuclear energy and other contested public policy issues are informed by experts on both sides of the debate. As…

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S4 Ep 3 - Simon Schaffer on 'Leviathan and the Air-Pump: 40 years later' (Part 2) 26:27

1y ago26:27

26:27

This episode forms Part 2 of our extended interview with the celebrated historian of science, and master communicator, Professor Simon Schaffer. Today, we continue to focus our discussion on the book Simon co-wrote with Steven Shapin in the early 1980s, Leviathan and the Air-Pump. Simon reveals fascinating insights into the production of the book, …

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S4 Ep 2 - Simon Schaffer on 'Leviathan and the Air-Pump: 40 years later' (Part 1) 26:39

1+ y ago26:39

26:39

This episode is the first of two in which the celebrated Professor of History of Science, Simon Schaffer, discusses the famous HPS publication, Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle and the Experimental Life, which Simon co-wrote with another esteemed HPS scholar, Steven Shapin, in the early 1980s. The book went on to become one of the most wel…

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S4 Ep 1 - Sam and Carmelina on 'Studying Humanities and Science' 20:52

1+ y ago20:52

20:52

Welcome back to The HPS Podcast for Season 4. In today's episode, Carmelina and Samara touch on a variety of topics, but a core theme is 'how we study science through the lens of the humanities'. Both Sam and Carmelina believe the skills and perspectives developed through disciplines such as history, sociology, and philosophy are crucial to resolvi…

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Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 5 - What's Next? 37:15

1+ y ago37:15

37:15

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. What’s next for Australian fathers? In this final episode of the mini-series, we look at the …

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Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 4 - Give Dads a Break 39:40

1+ y ago39:40

39:40

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. In Episode 4, Give Dads a Break, we look at more of the pressures that prevent fathers from b…

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Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 3 - Are Fathers Free? 46:24

1+ y ago46:24

46:24

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. How much freedom do fathers have? Do fathers have real choices about how to divide their time…

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Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 2 - What Gave Rise to the Breadwinner? 36:48

1+ y ago36:48

36:48

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. How people divide labour within and beyond the family unit has changed throughout human histo…

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Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 1 - Where's Dad? 27:43

1+ y ago27:43

27:43

We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. The series is called Working Fathers, and explores the varied roles fathers play in contemporary Australia an…

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Working Fathers Mini-Series. Introduction. 4:28

1+ y ago4:28

4:28

In a break from our usual format, we are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPS Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professor Dan Halliday, social psychologist, Dr Melissa Wheeler and historian Dr Annabelle Baldwin. The series is called Working Fathers, and explores the varied roles fathers…

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S3 Ep 12 - Sabina Leonelli on 'The Philosophy of Open Science' 39:34

1+ y ago39:34

39:34

Our guest today is Professor of Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Exeter, Sabina Leonelli. Sabina recently released a book in the Cambridge Elements Philosophy of Science series on The Philosophy of Open Science. In her book, Sabina offers a stimulating perspective on the Open Science movement, discussing both its strengths and…

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S3 Ep 11 - Uljana Feest on 'What is Missing in Replication Debates' 28:11

1+ y ago28:11

28:11

Today Carmelina is joined by Professor Uljana Feest, Philosopher of Psychology and Chair for Philosophy of Social Science and Social Philosophy at the Leibniz University of Hannover. In this episode, Uljana discusses her work on the philosophy and history of psychology as it relates to the replication crisis. In a recent article ‘What is the Replic…

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S3 Ep 10 - Aja Watkins & Miguel Ohnesorge on 'Philosophy of the Geosciences' 26:22

1+ y ago26:22

26:22

Today we are joined by Miguel Ohnesorge and Aja Watkins to talk about a new subfield of HPS - The Philosophy of the Geosciences. Miguel and Aja recently co-authored an article titled 'What is the Philosophy of the Geosciences?' In today's episode, we discuss many of the themes introduced in the paper, including common problems found across such div…

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S3 Ep 9 - Emma Kowal on 'Haunting Biology' 26:29

1+ y ago26:29

26:29

How are we to understand Indigenous biological difference in the twenty-first century? Is it a racist ruse, a stubborn residue of racial pseudoscience? Or is it a potentially empowering force that can be unlocked by newly accurate science? Or by being under Indigenous control? Today’s guest is Deakin Distinguished Professor Emma Kowal. Emma first t…

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S3 Ep 8 - Haixin Dang on 'Disagreement in Science' 30:49

1+ y ago30:49

30:49

We have a very special episode today with guest host Dr Joshua Eisenthal interviewing fellow philosopher of science, and good friend, Dr Haixin Dang on the fascinating subject of Disagreement in Science. It might seem like scientists should always aspire to achieve consensus, and therefore any disagreement in science is a mark of failure. However, …

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S3 Ep 7 - Sophie Ritson on 'Collaboration in Science' 22:58

1+ y ago22:58

22:58

Today's episode features one of our favourite philosophers of physics, Dr Sophie Ritson. Sophie's research focuses on the way contemporary physicists – of both the experimental and theoretical kind – work together to develop reliable knowledge and find creative ways to expand our fundamental understanding of the universe. Sophie is unafraid to dig …

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S3 Ep 6 - Kirsten Walsh on 'Rethinking Isaac Newton through his Archive' 26:40

1+ y ago26:40

26:40

Today's guest is Dr Kirsten Walsh, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter. Kirsten’s research primarily focuses on Isaac Newton and his methodology, but she is careful to consider philosophical issues alongside a sensitivity and consideration for historical contexts. In today’s episode Kirsten gives us a sense of how our historical under…

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Throwback Thursday - Greg Radick on 'Counterfactual History of Science' 29:16

1+ y ago29:16

29:16

This week the team at The HPS Podcast are taking a mid-semester break! To celebrate we are reposting one of our favourite episodes from Season 1 featuring Professor Greg Radick, a leading historian of biology at the University of Leeds. In the podcast Greg discusses the use of counterfactuals in history of science - the term we use for asking ‘What…

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S3 Ep 4 - Dan Hicks on 'Public Scientific Controversies' 27:34

2y ago27:34

27:34

In today’s episode we have assistant professor and philosopher of science, Dan Hicks, taking us through better understanding public scientific controversies. ‘Public scientific controversies’ is a term Dan uses to capture a broad variety of controversies that involve both science and the public. This would include controversies around vaccines, gen…

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S3 Ep 3 - Anna Alexandrova on 'Philosophy of Well-Being Science' 28:17

2y ago28:17

28:17

Today's episode features Professor Anna Alexandrova from the University of Cambridge discussing a field she has pioneered - the Philosophy of Well-Being Science. As Anna points out, well-being and happiness are now established phenomena for scientific research, particularly in the disciplines of psychology and economics. But does current scientific…

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S3 Ep 2 - Kate Lynch on 'Causal Explanation in Science' 24:15

2y ago24:15

24:15

Today's guest is Dr Kate Lynch, who will discuss the topic of 'causal explanation in science'. Kate is a philosopher of biology and a lecturer in HPS at the University of Melbourne. In this episode Kate introduces us to the difference between 'causation' and 'causal explanation', as well as difficulties involved in assessing what makes a good causa…

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S3 Ep 1 - Lorraine Daston & Peter Harrison on 'Scientists and History' 30:57

2y ago30:57

30:57

Today's episode is dedicated to the often complex, sometimes fraught relationship between practicing scientists and the history of science. To discuss this topic, we are joined by two of the most distinguished scholars in the history of science, Lorraine Daston and Peter Harrison, who recently co authored an article for Aeon, urging for a fresh dia…

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S3 - Samara & Carmelina on 'Seeing Science Differently' 19:39

2y ago19:39

19:39

Welcome to Season 3 of the HPS podcast! It's so great to be back. Kicking off our third season, we have a new addition to the team, Carmelina Contarino. Carmelina is an Honours student in HPS at the University of Melbourne and will be joining Samara in producing the podcast, as well as hosting several of the episodes. In today's episode, Samara and…

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BOOK LAUNCH - Mauricio Suárez on 'Inference and Representation' 30:33

2y ago30:33

30:33

Today on the podcast, Mauricio Suárez talks with Samara about his new book - Inference and Representation: A study in Modelling Science. Mauricio is Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, a life member at Clare Hall Cambridge and research associate at the London School of Economics. Mauricio has a lon…

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S2 Ep 12 - Highlights from the 2023 AAHPSSS Conference 32:18

2y ago32:18

32:18

Welcome to the final episode of Season 2 (with a bonus ep coming next week!). We take a moment in this episode to reflect on the first year of the HPS podcast. Just a few weeks ago Sam and Indi attended the biannual AAHPSSS (The Australasian Association for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science) conference at the University of Sydne…

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S2 Ep 11 - Hasok Chang on 'Epistemic Iteration' 35:05

2y ago35:05

35:05

"We get this instinct that true science must start from a firm foundation. Time and again, that's what I see NOT happening in the practice of science. We start from where we stand. The foundation is never indubitable, the foundation is provisional." Our very special guest today is Hasok Chang. Hasok is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science…

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S2 Ep 10 - Katherine Furman on 'The Philosophy of Public Health' 22:47

2y ago22:47

22:47

"Philosophers of science are really good about thinking about causation and trying to figure out what the mechanisms are that make something work" Today we welcome Katherine Furman, who talks to Indi about the philosophy of public health. Katherine is a lecturer of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Liverpool. She is currently …