What kinds of academic knowledge — 'science' in the German sense — can best inform policy and practice, what methods will produce this knowledge and how should this knowledge be put to use? Current areas of focus are causal modelling, historical scholarship, evidence-based policy, tools for scientists and the use of science, information synthesis and practical inference, uncertainty and risk in astrobiology, objectivity and social activist research, the role of descriptive/qualitative work in science, mapping tensions in work crossing scientific disciplines and integrating philosophers into scientific work.
CHESS group has been active since 2013.
During term time, CHESS Research Group meets weekly on Thursdays at 11am (Room PO004 at the Department of Philosophy, 50 Old Elvet, Durham) to discuss research questions someone is bringing to the group.
We also run a research seminar series. Michaelmas term 2025 starts with a workshop “Perspectives on molecular functionality”, which launches Fracesca Bellazzi's Leverhulme funded postdoctoral fellowship project Fun-Mo.
The events were all free to attend. For some events, it was possible to attend online, if you were outside of Durham. Please contact CHESS administrator at admin.chess@durham.ac.uk, if you have any questions.
Programme for “Perspectives on molecular functionality”
9.00 - 9.30 Coffee/Welcome
9.30 - 10.15 Francesca Bellazzi (Durham): “Reducing functions to sequences”
10.30 -11. 15 Tuomas Tahko (Bristol): "Biological Functions as Networks of Chemical Dependencies"
11.30- 12.15 Emma Tobin (UCL, London)
12.30-13.15 Vanessa Seifert (Athens)
13.15-14.15 Lunch break
14.15-15.00 Sebastian Sander-Oest (Oslo)
15.15- 16.00 Thomas Rossetter (Durham)
16.15-17.00 Robin Hendry (Durham): "Islands of Order"
17.00-17.15 Closing up
More information on the event page FunMo_2025 - Durham University
Thu 14 November at 3.30-5.00 PM at ER149 (Elvet Riverside)
MLAC meets Philosophy: Issues of translation and interpretation when we survey scientific communities
Thu 28 November at 3.30-5.00 PM at ER149 (Elvet Riverside)
Simona Capisani: Reflections of a philosopher at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference
Fri 7 February at 1.30-4.30 PM at ER228 (Elvet Riverside)
Workshop: Counterfactual Histories in Philosophy of Technology
Thu 27 March at 3.30-5.00 PM at Institute of Advanced Studies
Workshop with SGIA: Normative Philosophy and Qualitative Methods
Thu 8 May at 3.30-5.00 PM at ER278 (Elvet Riverside)Joyce Havstad: Methodological Choice, Value-Criteria, and Fruitfulness
Thu 29 May at 3.30-5.00 PM at ER278 (Elvet Riverside)Nancy Cartwright: In praise of the inexact, the inelegant and the unassuming
Thu 26 June at 1- 5.30 PM at PO005 (Department of Philosophy)Workshop: Intellectual Humility in Early Modern Science and Philosophy
18 July at 10.00am-5.30pm at Schaper Room, 67 Oakfield Avenue (Glasgow Philosophy department)
Workshop: Chemistry and Quantum Mechanics: A Disputed Relationship
Speakers:
Our weekly research meetings were held during Term times:
Thu at 11 AM -12 PM at PO004 (Department of Philosophy) and Teams
In Easter term 2025, the meetings were held on 8 May, 15 May, 29 May, 5 June and 12 June. Please contact CHESS administrator at admin.chess@durham.ac.uk, to be added on the CHESS mailing list where you get the latest information and links to online sessions.
Explore our research and centre activity.
