Chair Casterman & Hamers: History and Philosophy of Sciences

Introduction

In 2013 scientists Cécile Casterman and Raymond Hamers create the Chair History and Philosopy of Sciences. This academic chair consists of a lecture series of internationally renowned speakers, programmed by Crosstalks. The kick-off of the chair took place in October 2013 with VUB honorary doctor Prof. Londa Schiebinger (Stanford University).

Guest speakers in recent years were among others: Anne Fagot-Largeault (Collège de France), Dava Sobel (novelist), Philipp Blom (historian, novelist), Peter Gallison (Harvard University), Adam Lowe (Factum Arte) en Simon Schaffer (Cambridge University), John Thackara (Doors of Perception), Paul Halstead (The University of Sheffield), Souleymane Bachir Diagne (Columbia University).

Cécile Casterman and Raymond Hamers performed research into antibodies in the eighties, resulting in their discovery of a new class of antibodies in camelids: the alpaca antibody. Their research lead to the spin-off company Ablynx, one of Belgium's success stories. Today, both scientist are retired.

Goals

The Chair History and Philosophy of Sciences answers the need of a university wide and interdisciplinary program in the History and Philosophy of Sciences. The desire and commitment of Cécile Casterman and Raymond Hamers to enable and facilitate intergenerational discussions in science, are the engine of this chair.

Raymond Hamers about the Chair History and Philosophy of Sciences:

"There is a lack in our academic curriculum about history and philosophy of sciences. Yet, this is a crucial bridge for transdisciplinary learning and mutual understanding. We wanted to do something about this since we need that historical framework when talking about science. Take the atomic theory for instance, which already existed as a conceptual concept with the Greeks, with the atom as the smallest particle of a matter. History is not about a chronological overview of events, but rather about the evolution of scientific ideas.”

Chair holder

Jean Paul Van Bendegem is director of the Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science. He is prof.m. at VUB, where he teached logic and philosophy of science until 2018. From 2005 to 2009 he was dean of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. Hij is editor of the journal Logique et Analyse, and promotor of various doctoral project at CLWF.

His research focuses on the foundations of philosophy of mathematics and logic. His latest book publications for a broader audience are Elke drie seconden (Antwerp: Houtekiet, 2014), Verdwaalde stad – Filosoferen langs straten en pleinen (Antwerp: Houtekiet, 2017) and Doordenken over dooddoeners (Uitgeverij Polis, 2019).