Imagination in Science (the Forum)

Science is often mistakenly thought to involved nothing but cold reason. In reality, very human acts of creativity appear everywhere. We explore the role of imaginative thinking in science. Are thought experiments sources of knowledge or just hypotheses? Can a story or narrative also be a scientific explanation? And how should a scientist balance creative thinking with respect for the facts?

Speakers
Steven French, Professor of Philosophy of Science, University of Leeds
Melanie Keene, Fellow, Homerton College, University of Cambridge
Alice Murphy, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Leeds

Chair
Jonathan Birch, Fellow, Forum for Philosophy; Assistant Professor of Philosophy, LSE

All welcome | Free to attend | First come, first served at the door