Philosophy Conferences at UC Riverside

University of California, Riverside

14th Annual Philosophy Conference
Humanities and Social Sciences Building, Room 1500

RISK, SCIENCE AND THE LAW

The Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside is pleased to announce a conference, “Risk, Science and the Law”, to be held on the UCR campus, January 12, 2007. The conference commemorates the publication of Professor Carl F. Cranor's book, Toxic Torts: Science, Law and the Possibility of Justice. Toxic Torts complements Cranor’s earlier publication, Regulating Toxic Substances: A Philosophy of Science and the Law. The papers in this conference will focus on the themes that are raised in this important body of work.

Toxic Torts is an original study of the social and philosophical issues raised by the increasing judicial review of scientific evidence in tort or personal injury law. Without suitable norms for the legal review and admission of scientific testimony, the law will be unable effectively to correct wrongs inflicted on citizens by the proliferation of toxic products. And yet courts are often unprepared to carry out this task because of mistaken conceptions of scientific reasoning and evidence. Among other things, the new book attempts to clarify these problems and to contribute to their solution.

Speakers:

Joe Shelby Cecil
  Project Director, Division of Research, Federal Judicial Center, Washington, D.C.
Thomas E. Hill, Jr.
  Kenan Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Douglas Maclean
  Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kristin Shrader-Frechette
  O’Neill Family Professor, Philosophy and Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame

Moderators:

David Eastmond
  Professor of Cell Biology & Toxicologist, University of California, Riverside
Dale Jamieson
  Professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy, and Affiliated Professor of Law, New York University
Andrew Light
  Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Affairs, Adjunct Professor of Geography and Public Health Genetics, University of Washington
David Strauss
  Research Analyst for the Center for Naval Analyses.

The schedule and title of the talks are to be announced. All talks will be held in HMNSS 1500.

For information, contact:

Janet Mauren (951) 827-5209 janetm@ucr.edu
Kathy Saylor (951) 827-6343 kathysay@ucr.edu