November 9, 2021

On an unseasonably warm mid-October day, three IGC fellows met with GCC faculty Dr. Wendy Parker to discuss climate change, values, and the roles of philosophy and science in a changing world. This gathering was the second Fall 2021 IGC Coffee Convo, a recurring event designed to foster connections among fellows and faculty.

Dr. Parker, a professor of philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, focuses her work on the philosophy of climate science and meteorology. She contributed to two chapters of the recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6th Assessment Report, where her writings explored the role of values in science and evaluating scientific models.

The participating fellows– Gabriel Borba, Caleb O’Brien, and Samuel Silknetter—spoke with Dr. Parker about their research and its linkages to climate change, values, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaborations, and the philosophy of science. Although we were never quite able to pin down what “values” are, exactly, it was a fruitful discussion as participants enjoyed medium-roast coffee from Deet’s Place and discussed the constraints and affordances that their work offers vis-à-vis personal and collective values.

Written by Caleb O’Brien, IGC Fellow and PhD student in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Fellows at Coffee
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