The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science
Episodes
S5 E11 - Steven Shapin on the Social Life of Scientific Knowledge
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Steven Shapin, Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at Harvard. Shapin reflects on his path into the his...
S5 E10 - Cordelia Fine on "Patriarchy Inc"
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Cordelia Fine — psychologist, award-winning writer, and professor in the History and Philosophy of S...
S5 E9 - Miriam Solomon on How Stigma Shapes Psychiatry
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Miriam Solomon, Professor of Philosophy at Temple University and a leading voice in philosophy of scie...
S5 E8 - Philip Kitcher on Philosophy for Science and the Common Good
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Thomas Spiteri speaks with Professor Philip Kitcher, John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Columbia University and one of the most...
S5 E7 - Lydia Patton on HOPOS
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Thomas Spiteri is in conversation with Professor Lydia Patton, philosopher of science and historian of the philosophy of science. Patton tr...
S5 E6 - Sarah Blaffer Hrdy on ‘Rethinking our Starting Assumptions’
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“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 o...
S5 E5 - Cristian Larroulet Philippi on Measurement in the Human Sciences
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Sedd...
S5 E4 - Heather Douglas on Rethinking Science’s Social Contract
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri is in conversation with internationally recognised philosopher of science and professor at Michigan State...
S5 E3 - Hans-Jörg Rheinberger on 'Epistemic Things'
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on The HPS Podcast, Thomas Spiteri talks with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, distinguished historian and philosopher of science and Director Emeritus a...
S5 E2 - Surekha Davies on Humans: A Monstrous History
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Mon...
S5 E1 - Samara and Thomas: Reflections and Roads Ahead
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 passe...
Audience Faves: Daston & Harrison on 'Scientists and History'
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Audience Faves: Hasok Chang on 'Epistemic Iteration'
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, Professo...
Audience Faves: Rachael Brown on 'Values in Science'
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 D...
Audience Faves: Kristian Camilleri on 'The Disunity of Science'
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Kristia...
S4 Ep 12 - Joshua Eisenthal et al. on 'Philosophy of Science in Practice'
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Pr...
S4 Ep 11 - Redux: Fiona Fidler on 'Collective Objectivity'
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"It wouldn’t make sense to leave the entire burden of upholding objectivity in science on the shoulders of fallible individuals, right?" P...
S4 Ep 10 - Erika Milam on 'Colloquial Science'
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"These conversations are the focus of fierce debate, not because scientists lack authority, but because these are the intellectual battles worth ...
S4 Ep 9 - Holden Thorp on 'Teach History and Philosophy of Science'
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“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 ...
S4 Ep 8 - Nicole C. Nelson on 'Ethnographies of Science'
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Carmelina is joined by Dr. Nicole C. Nelson, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical History and Bioethics at the University of Wiscon...
S4 Ep 7 - Naomi Oreskes on 'Writing on Ignorance'
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
S4 Ep 6 - Jen Martin on 'Communicating Science'
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"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...sci...
S4 Ep 5 - Edouard Machery on 'Experimental Philosophy'
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today our guest presenter Thomas Spiteri is joined by Professor Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s HPS depar...
S4 Ep 4 - Darrin Durant on 'Expertise'
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Carmelina is joined by Dr Darrin Durant a Senior Lecturer in HPS at the University of Melbourne specialising in Science and Technology studies. ...
S4 Ep 3 - Simon Schaffer on 'Leviathan and the Air-Pump: 40 years later' (Part 2)
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode forms Part 2 of our extended interview with the celebrated historian of science, and master communicator, Professor Simon Schaffer.Today,...
S4 Ep 2 - Simon Schaffer on 'Leviathan and the Air-Pump: 40 years later' (Part 1)
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the first of two in which the celebrated Professor of History of Science, Simon Schaffer, discusses the famous HPS publication, Leviat...
S4 Ep 1 - Sam and Carmelina on 'Studying Humanities and Science'
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 5 - What's Next?
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, political philosopher As...
Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 4 - Give Dads a Break
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, political philosopher As...
Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 3 - Are Fathers Free?
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, political philosopher As...
Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 2 - What Gave Rise to the Breadwinner?
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series Working Fathers created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, political philosopher As...
Working Fathers Mini-series. Ep 1 - Where's Dad?
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, political philosopher Associate Professo...
Working Fathers Mini-Series. Introduction.
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a break from our usual format, we are pleased to bring you a special five episode podcast series created by Professor in HPSÂ Cordelia Fine, politi...
S3 Ep 12 - Sabina Leonelli on 'The Philosophy of Open Science'
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
S3 Ep 11 - Uljana Feest on 'What is Missing in Replication Debates'
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Carmelina is joined by Professor Uljana Feest, Philosopher of Psychology and Chair for Philosophy of Social Science and Social Philosophy at the...
S3 Ep 10 - Aja Watkins & Miguel Ohnesorge on 'Philosophy of the Geosciences'
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 rece...
S3 Ep 9 - Emma Kowal on 'Haunting Biology'
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How are we to understand Indigenous biological difference in the twenty-first century?Is it a racist ruse, a stubborn residue of racial pseudoscience?...
S3 Ep 8 - Haixin Dang on 'Disagreement in Science'
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have a very special episode today with guest host Dr Joshua Eisenthal interviewing fellow philosopher of science, and good friend, Dr Haixin Dang o...
S3 Ep 7 - Sophie Ritson on 'Collaboration in Science'
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode features one of our favourite philosophers of physics, Dr Sophie Ritson. Sophie's research focuses on the way contemporary p...
S3 Ep 6 - Kirsten Walsh on 'Rethinking Isaac Newton through his Archive'
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Dr Kirsten Walsh, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter.Kirsten’s research primarily focuses on Isaac Newton and h...
Throwback Thursday - Greg Radick on 'Counterfactual History of Science'
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 featur...
S3 Ep 4 - Dan Hicks on 'Public Scientific Controversies'
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode we have assistant professor and philosopher of science, Dan Hicks, taking us through better understanding public scientific contr...
S3 Ep 3 - Anna Alexandrova on 'Philosophy of Well-Being Science'
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode features Professor Anna Alexandrova from the University of Cambridge discussing a field she has pioneered - the Philosophy of Wel...
S3 Ep 2 - Kate Lynch on 'Causal Explanation in Science'
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
S3 Ep 1 - Lorraine Daston & Peter Harrison on 'Scientists and History'
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is dedicated to the often complex, sometimes fraught relationship between practicing scientists and the history of science. To d...
S3 - Samara & Carmelina on 'Seeing Science Differently'
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Conta...
BOOK LAUNCH - Mauricio Suárez on 'Inference and Representation'
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the podcast, Mauricio Suárez talks with Samara about his new book - Inference and Representation: A study in Modelling Science.Mauricio is P...
S2 Ep 12 - Highlights from the 2023 AAHPSSS Conference
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
S2 Ep 11 - Hasok Chang on 'Epistemic Iteration'
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"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 o...
S2 Ep 10 - Katherine Furman on 'The Philosophy of Public Health'
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Philosophers of science are really good about thinking about causation and trying to figure out what the mechanisms are that make something work...
S2 Ep 9 - Carl Bergstrom on 'Science and Misinformation'
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Professor Carl Bergstrom from the University of Washington. Carl has been touring Australia over the last few weeks and we were ...
S2 Ep 8 - Gerhard Wiesenfeldt on 'The Unknown Scientist'
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to another week of the HPS podcast. This week's guest is Gerhard Wiesenfeldt of the University of Melbourne. He joins us as he discusses ...
S2 Ep 7 - Ian Hesketh on 'Science History in Science'
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is Ian Hesketh, an intellectual historian and historian of science at the University of Queensland. His work in HPS revolves ar...
S2 Ep 6 - Sarah Qidwai on 'Science and Colonialism'
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Sarah Qidwai, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the history of science who focuses on British Imperialism, Science and Colonialism, t...
S2 Ep 5 - Adrian Currie on 'Opportunistic Methods'
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest on the podcast is Dr Adrian Currie, senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter. Much of Adrian's research revol...
S2 Ep 4 - Duane Hamacher on 'Indigenous Science'
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Everything on the land is reflected in the sky. So if you want to learn about indigenous astronomy, You have to learn about everything."Thi...
S2 Ep 3 - Kristian Camilleri on 'The Turn to Practice'
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 of the HPS podcast welcomes back friend of the podcast, Kristian Camilleri. This time he joins us to discuss the turn to practice in the phil...
S2 Ep 2 - David Kaiser on 'Scientific Training'
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Scientists are not born, they are made" David Kaiser Today's guest on the podcast is David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of the Histo...
S2 Ep 0.5 - Season 2 Intro Episode
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to season 2 of the HPS Podcast! To ease you into a new season, Samara and Indigo sit down to reflect on the first season. They take a look at...
S2 Ep 1 - Rachel Ankeny on 'Research Repertoires'
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"That's what ‘repertoires’ is trying to force philosophers to look at - that whole ecosystem that encompasses the doing of science."...
BONUS EPISODE - Joshua Eisenthal & HPS Chat
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this final bonus episode for Season 1 we are doing things a little bit differently. Instead of a one-way interview, philosopher of physics - Jos...
BONUS EPISODE - Simine Vazire on 'Making Science Better'
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a special bonus episode of The HPS Podcast with Professor of Psychology, Simine Vazire, discussing the ways in which HPS scholars and scien...
S1 Ep12 - Fiona Fidler on 'Collective Objectivity'
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"It wouldn’t make sense to leave the entire burden of upholding objectivity in science on the shoulders of fallible individuals, right?" P...
S1 Ep 11 - James McElvenny on 'Language and Science'
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the podcast is Dr James McElvenny, historian and philosopher of linguistics, discussing the topic of language and science.As James points out...
S1 Ep 10 - Martin Bush on 'Knowledge Circulation and Visualisation'
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcome Dr Martin Bush to the podcast to discuss the role of imagery and visualisation in the circulation of science and knowledge. Mart...
S1 Ep 9 - Caleb Hazelwood on 'Scientific Metaphysics'
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features Caleb Hazelwood, philosopher of science and PhD candidate, talking on the topic of Scientific Metaphysics. As Caleb explains, ‘...
S1 Ep 8 - Samara Greenwood on 'Social Change and Science'
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Indigo Keel interviews our regular host, Samara Greenwood, on societal contexts and science.Samara is currently undertaking a PhD in which s...
S1 Ep 7 - Rachael Brown on 'Values in Science'
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the podcast Samara talks with Dr Rachael Brown on values in science. In particular, the downfall of the value-free ideal. Dr. Rachael Brown, ...
S1 Ep 6 - Fallon Mody on 'Biography in Science'
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode Samara interviews Dr Fallon Mody, Historian of Medicine and Metascience researcher at the University of Melbourne, on the topic of Bio...
S1 Ep 5 - Greg Radick on 'Counterfactual History of Science'
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This weeks guest is Greg Radick, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds.In the podcast Greg discusses the use of co...
S1 Ep 4 - Cordelia Fine on 'Sex Difference Research'
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Cordelia Fine joins Samara this week to talk about 'norms of reaction' in relation to sex differences. Feminist critics of sex dif...
S1 Ep 3 - Alan Love on 'Purpose in Biology'
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does nature have a purpose? The simple scientific answer is no, but the fuller story is, of course, more complicated than that. Concepts like goal dir...
S1 Ep 2 - Kristian Camilleri on 'The Disunity of Science'
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you view science? Is it a unified discipline that relies on a single method, or are the sciences more diverse than the standard image implies? ...
S1 Ep 1 - Donna Haraway on 'Storytelling in Science'
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HPS Podcast, Samara interviews a member of 'HPS Royalty' - Donna Haraway, who highlights the important role of narrat...
S1 Ep 0.5 - Introduction to the Podcast
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The HPS Podcast! Before we dive into the history and philosophy of science interviews we’ve all been waiting for, our host Samara Greenwo...