Dr. Carla Fehr
Department of Philosophy and
Religious Studies • 402 Catt Hall •
Associate Professor, tenured, Department of
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Iowa State University, 2005-present.
Visiting Fellow, Center for the Philosophy of
Science,
Visiting Associate Professor, Center for the
Philosophy of Science,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Iowa State University, 1999-2005.
Citizenship Canadian
Ph.D., Philosophy,
B.Sc.,
magna cum laude (with honors in Philosophy and Biology),
Areas of Specialization Philosophy of Biology,
Philosophy of Science, Feminist Philosophy of Science
Areas of Competence Evolutionary Biology
"Time
and Recruitment costs as currencies in manipulation studies on the costs of
reproduction: Evidence from Tree Swallows,” Ecology,
forthcoming. With Dave Schutler,
Robert Clark and Anthony Diamond.
“The
evolution of sex: Domains and explanatory pluralism,” Biology and Philosophy, 16:2 145-170, 2001.
“Pluralism
and sex: More than a pragmatic issue,” Philosophy
of Science, 68, S237-S250, 2001.
“Feminism
and science: Mechanism without reductionism,” National Women’s Studies Association Journal, 16:1, 136-156, 2004. Reprinted in Jill M. Bystydzienski and Sharon R. Bird (eds.)
Removing Barriers: Women in Academic Science, Engineering, Technology and
Mathematics.
“Effects of variation
at the flower-color A locus on mating system parameters of Ipomoea purpurea,”
(with Mark Rausher) Molecular Ecology 13
(7): 1839-1847 July 2004.
“Explanations of the evolution of
sex: A plurality of local mechanisms,” Scientific
Pluralism,
Papers Under Review
“Are Smart Men Smarter than Smart Women? The epistemology of ignorance and women in science”
“Feminist perspectives on philosophy of biology,” invited, Oxford Handbook on the Philosophy of Biology,
ed. Michael Ruse, contract with Oxford University Press.
“Feminist philosophy of biology,” invited, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
“Integrative
pluralism or integrative monism: The constraints of mechanistic explanation”
“Diversity of selves and diversity of situations: The
epistemology of ignorance and social objectivity.”
“Naturalized constraints on social objectivity: The
challenge of good intentions”
“Picking a relevance relation: The role of local criteria
for the choice between unification and causal mechanism,”
Book Contract
Pragmatic mechanism and
explanatory pluralism,
Cambridge University Press.
Refereed
Professional Presentations
“Pluralism and Mechanism: Concrete and Ideal,” International
Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology,
“Social conceptions of objectivity: How do we get there from
here?” Philosophy of Science Association Meeting, November,
Austin, Tx. 2004.
“The
Making of Bat Woman: Ovarian authority and the credibility of women studying
reproductive biology,” Feminist
Epistemology, Metaphysics, Methodologies and Science Studies Annual Conference,
University of Washington, Seattle, November 2004.
“Attending to scientist’s bodies: Ignorance and
objectivity,” Conference on at Ethics and the Epistemology of Ignorance,
“Epistemic authority of
women and minorities in scientific communities,” Iowa State University Women’s
Studies Lecture Series, 2004; Iowa Philosophical Society Annual Meeting,
“Sex and explanatory pluralism: Is it a case of
causal mechanical versus unifying theories of explanation?” Western
Canadian Philosophical Association Annual meeting,
“The evolution of sex:
Pluralism that is more than a pragmatic issue” Philosophy of Science
Association 2000 Meeting,
"From 'why questions' to 'what questions' about
explanations of sex," Duke University Women's Studies Graduate Research
Conference, 1997.
"Theoretical pluralism: The case of the
evolution of sex" International Society of the Philosophy, History and
Social Studies of Biology,
"Sex, evolution and essentialism,"
Duke University Women's Studies Graduate Research Conference, 1996.
"Scientific
objectivity: Is there a gendered perspective?" Duke
University Women’s Studies Graduate Research Conference, 1995.
"Inessential science" Duke University
Women's Studies Graduate Research Conference, 1994.
Invited Seminars
"A social view of scientific objectivity:
How do we get there from here?"
“Integration
or isolation?
Explanation, pluralism and sex.”
“Pragmatic mechanism:
Pluralism and the evolution of sex.”
“Innate
differences (?)
Ignorance, women scientists, and the benefits of diversity,”
Symposium for Women in the Biological Sciences,
“Ethical
considerations for new faculty,” Iowa State University Preparing Future Faculty
Program, April 2005.
“A lab coat can cover
more than your clothes: Ignorance, objectivity and women scientists.”
“Feminist philosophy of biology: Explanatory pluralism as a
paradigm for feminist epistemology,”
“Explanations of the
evolution of sex: A plurality of local mechanisms,”
“Feminist science:
Mechanism without reductionism,” Keynote address. Retaining
women in early academic science mathematics engineering and technology careers,
“The evolution of sex: A
case of explanatory pluralism,”
“The evolution of sex:
The need for a new scientific ideal” Animal Ecology Seminar Series,
“The sociobiology of rape: A
misapplication of the Newtonian Ideal” Women’s Studies Research Seminar, Iowa
State University 2000.
"Pluralism in paleobiology, a confusion of
explanatory intuitions" North Carolina Philosophical Society, Annual
Meeting, 1998.
Research Awards and Fellowships
National Science
Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award $3,200,000, (I am one of
8 co-
PI’s).
“Pragmatic mechanism and
explanatory pluralism,” National Science Foundation, Science and Technology
Studies Scholar Award, 2005, $73,000.
“Perspectives on Molecular
Evolution,”
“Ovarian authority:
Credibility of women studying female reproduction,”
“Feminist Epistemologies Seminar,” National Endowment for the Humanities,
Duke University Women's Studies Research
Fellowship, 1998-1999.
Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of
Graduate Scholar, Duke Women's Studies Program,
1997-1999.
Tuition Award and
Stipend, Duke University Department of Philosophy, 1993-1998.
Natural Science and
Engineering Research Council of
Teaching
Awards
ISU Foundation Award for Early Excellence in
Teaching 2002
Shakeshaft Master Teacher Award
2002