Book Series by Kostas Kampourakis
This book series serves as a venue for the exchange of the complementary perspectives of science ... more This book series serves as a venue for the exchange of the complementary perspectives of science educators and HPS scholars. History and philosophy of science (HPS) contributes a lot to science education and there is currently an increased interest for exploring this relationship further. Science educators have started delving into the details of HPS scholarship, often in collaboration with HPS scholars. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, HPS scholars have come to realize that they have a lot to contribute to science education, predominantly in two domains: a) understanding concepts and b) understanding the nature of science. In order to teach about central science concepts such as “force”, “adaptation”, “electron” etc, the contribution of HPS scholars is fundamental in answering questions such as: a) When was the concept created or coined? What was its initial meaning and how different is it today? Accordingly, in order to teach about the nature of science the contribution of HPS scholar is crucial in clarifying the characteristics of scientific knowledge and in presenting exemplar cases from the history of science that provide an authentic image of how science has been done. The series aims to publish authoritative and comprehensive books and to establish that HPS-informed science education should be the norm and not some special case.
Editorial board:
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
María Pilar Jiménez Aleixandre, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Theodore Arabatzis, University of Athens, Greece
Sibel Erduran, University of Limerick, Ireland
Martin Kusch, University of Vienna, Austria
Alan C. Love, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, USA
Michael Matthews, University of New South Wales, Australia
Andreas Müller, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Ross Nehm, Stony Brook University (SUNY), USA
Stathis Psillos, Western University, Canada
Thomas Reydon, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
Bruno J. Strasser, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Marcel Weber, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Alice Siu Ling Wong, The University of Hong Kong, China
Books by Kostas Kampourakis
This book illustrates that the stereotypical representations of Gregor Mendel and his work misrep... more This book illustrates that the stereotypical representations of Gregor Mendel and his work misrepresent his findings and their historical context. The author sets the historical record straight and provides scientists with a reference guide to the respective scholarship in the early history of genetics. The overarching argument is twofold: on the one hand, that we had better avoid naïve hero-worshipping and understand each historical figure, Mendel in particular, by placing them in the actual sociocultural context in which they lived and worked; on the other hand, that we had better refrain from teaching in schools the naive Mendelian genetics that provided the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics.
Key Features
- Corrects the distorting stereotypical representations of Mendelian genetics and provides an authentic picture of how science is done, focusing on Gregor Mendel and his actual contributions to science
- Explains how the oversimplifications of Mendelian genetics were exploited by ideologues to provide the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics
- Proposes a shift in school education from teaching how the science of genetics is done using model systems to teaching the complexities of development through which heredity is materialized
Recent social and political psychological research indicates that increased access to ancestry te... more Recent social and political psychological research indicates that increased access to ancestry testing has strengthened the notion of genetic essentialism among some groups, or the idea that our biology ties us to particular ethnic identities. This can boost a sense of cultural pride and prosocial behaviors among communities that are perceived to be similar. In the worst-case scenarios, however, this phenomenon can contribute to deeper social woes like misinformation, anti-science agendas, and even social hatred among those who believe in racial superiority. Using research from both the social sciences and the genetics literature as support, Ancestry Reimagined establishes realistic expectations about what we can learn from our DNA as a foundation for examining the psychological impact of ancestry testing, including the differences between how this information is perceived versus its reality. With this book, Dr. Kampourakis flexes his muscles as an esteemed interdisciplinary science educator and author to challenge these traditional social constructs, using the current genetic testing science as a myth busting tool.
Kampourakis argues that DNA ancestry testing cannot reveal a person's true ethnic identity because ethnic groups are socially and culturally constructed. In 10 accessible chapters, he explains the assumptions underlying the scientific study of ancestry, and the resulting paradoxes that are often overlooked. What the study of human DNA mostly shows is that human DNA variation is continuous, and it is not possible to clearly delimit ethnic groups based on DNA data. As a result, we all are members of a huge, extended family, and not of genetically distinct ethnic groups. What ancestry tests can provide are probabilistic estimations of similarities between the test-takers and particular reference populations. This does not devalue the results of these tests, however, because they can indeed provide some valuable information to people who may not know much about their ancestors. In fact, what the tests are very good at doing is finding close relatives, and this is perhaps why the whole enterprise should be rebranded as family, not ancestry, testing. Ultimately, this book reveals that genetic essentialism, biological ethnic identities, racial superiority, and similar social constructs are scientifically unsupported.
Cambridge University Press, 2020
Why do the debates about evolution persist, despite the plentiful evidence for it? Breaking down ... more Why do the debates about evolution persist, despite the plentiful evidence for it? Breaking down the notion that public resistance to evolution is strictly due to its perceived conflict with religion, this concise book shows that evolution is in fact a counterintuitive idea that is difficult to understand. Kostas Kampourakis, an experienced science educator, takes an insightful, interdisciplinary approach, providing an introduction to evolutionary theory written with clarity and thoughtful reasoning. Topics discussed include evolution in the public sphere, evolution and religion, the conceptual obstacles to understanding evolution, the development of Darwin's theory, the most important evolutionary concepts, as well as evolution and the nature of science. Understanding Evolution presents evolutionary theory with a lucidity and vision that readers will quickly appreciate, and is intended for anyone wanting an accessible and concise guide to evolution.
Cambridge University Press, 2020
Biologists rely on theories, apply models and construct explanations, but rarely reflect on their... more Biologists rely on theories, apply models and construct explanations, but rarely reflect on their nature and structure. This book introduces key topics in philosophy of science to provide the required philosophical background for this kind of reflection, which is an important part of all aspects of research and communication in biology. It concisely and accessibly addresses fundamental questions such as: Why should biologists care about philosophy of science? How do concepts contribute to scientific advancement? What is the nature of scientific controversies in the biological sciences? Chapters draw on contemporary examples and case studies from across biology, making the discussion relevant and insightful. Written for researchers and advanced undergraduate and graduate students across the life sciences, its aim is to encourage readers to become more philosophically minded and informed to enable better scientific practice. It is also an interesting and pertinent read for philosophers of science.
Scientific knowledge is the most solid and robust kind of knowledge that humans have because of t... more Scientific knowledge is the most solid and robust kind of knowledge that humans have because of the self-correcting character inherent in its own processes. Nevertheless, anti-evolutionists, climate denialists, and anti-vaxxers, among others, question some of the best-established scientific findings, making claims that are unsupported by empirical evidence. A common aspect of these claims is the reference to the uncertainties in these areas of research, which leads to the conclusion that science is uncertain about evolution, climate change, and vaccination, among others. The truth of the matter is that while the broad picture is clear, there exist--and will always exist--uncertainties about the details of the respective phenomena. In this book Kampourakis and McCain show that uncertainty is an inherent feature of science that does not devalue it. In contrast, uncertainty actually makes science advance because it motivates further research.
The first book of its kind, Uncertainty draws on philosophy of science to explain what uncertainty in science is and how it makes science advance. It contrasts evolution, climate change, and vaccination, where the uncertainties are exaggerated, to genetic testing and forensic science where the uncertainties are usually overlooked. Kampourakis and McCain discuss the scientific, psychological, and philosophical aspects of uncertainty in order to explain what it is really about, what kind of problems it actually poses, and why it ultimately makes science advance. Contrary to the public representations of scientific findings and conclusions that produce an intuitive but distorted view of science as certain, we need to understand and learn to live with uncertainty in science.
cloth • $27.95 ISBN 9780674967984 304 pages • 1 halftone, 2 graphs
Current books on evolutionary theory all seem to take for granted the fact that students find evo... more Current books on evolutionary theory all seem to take for granted the fact that students find evolution easy to understand when actually, from a psychological perspective, it is a rather counterintuitive idea. Evolutionary theory, like all scientific theories, is a means to understanding the natural world. Understanding Evolution is intended for undergraduate students in the life sciences, biology teachers or anyone wanting a basic introduction to evolutionary theory. Covering core concepts and the structure of evolutionary explanations, it clarifies both what evolution is about and why so many people find it difficult to grasp. The book provides an introduction to the major concepts and conceptual obstacles to understanding evolution, including the development of Darwin's theory, and a detailed presentation of the most important evolutionary concepts. Bridging the gap between the concepts and conceptual obstacles, Understanding Evolution presents evolutionary theory with a clarity and vision students will quickly appreciate.
--> Presents the conceptual obstacles preventing the understanding of evolution, easing the reader into the analysis of these concepts
--> Contains numerous illustrations to help the reader understand research conclusions, processes and concepts
--> Combines conclusions and insights from research in history of science, philosophy of science and cognitive science
This book brings together for the first time philosophers of biology to write about some of the m... more This book brings together for the first time philosophers of biology to write about some of the most central concepts and issues in their field from the perspective of biology education. The chapters of the book cover a variety of topics ranging from traditional ones, such as biological explanation, biology and religion or biology and ethics, to contemporary ones, such as genomics, systems biology or evolutionary developmental biology. Each of the 30 chapters covers the respective philosophical literature in detail and makes specific suggestions for biology education.
The aim of this book is to inform biology educators, undergraduate and graduate students in biology and related fields, students in teacher training programs, and curriculum developers about the current state of discussion on the major topics in the philosophy of biology and its implications for teaching biology. In addition, the book can be valuable to philosophers of biology as an introductory text in undergraduate and graduate courses.
Special Issues by Kostas Kampourakis
Mendel, Mendelism and Education: 150 years since the “Versuche”
Science & Education, 2014
Philosophical Considerations in the Teaching of Biology - Part I: Philosophy of Biology and Biological Explanation
Darwin and Darwinism. Part Two: Pedagogical Studies / Guest Edited by D. W. Rudge & K. Kampourakis
Darwin and Darwinism. Part One: Historical, Philosophical and Cultural Studies / Guest Edited by D.W. Rudge and K. Kampourakis
Papers by Kostas Kampourakis
It is now 5 years since I took over the journal from Michael Matthews. At that time, I was concer... more It is now 5 years since I took over the journal from Michael Matthews. At that time, I was concerned to make the journal more widely known and read. Michael had been very active in promoting the journal so that was a real challenge. Since then, both the number of article downloads per year and the impact factor have doubled, and so I am happy to know that I have made a contribution to the journal. I hope that the next editor, Sibel Erduran, and her editorial team will do an even better job. I have always been involved in this journal mostly out of personal, rather than strictly professional, interest, and I would like to see it doing well. Furthermore, having refrained from publishing articles in the journal for the past 5 years -I did not want to process my own work -I am happy that I am now able again to submit the work that my colleagues and I are doing. Why am I leaving the journal? There are many reasons. Let me say that I think it is healthy for the journal and me to step down after a 5-year term. As far as the journal is concerned, a fresh perspective and outlook can only be fruitful after 5 years. Sibel has already sent out a call for papers that is a good example of this new perspective. As far as I am concerned, the workload for the journal is enormous. You might think that editing a journal is only about making editorial decisions, but there is a lot more than that. An editor has to read and edit manuscripts, find appropriate reviewers that is not always easy for interdisciplinary journals like Science & Education, read the reviews and make fair decisions, oversee production, and respond to authors' and reviewers' concerns and a lot more. I am happy to say that I did my best over these 5 years, and it is now time to devote my efforts and time to new endeavors. What have I learned during these 5 years? A lot. I have read numerous manuscripts I would have not otherwise read and learned a lot about domains outside my modest area of expertise. I came to know many people, both personally and indirectly through their work for the journal. There are so many people I have never met whom I feel I know quite well as scholars through their articles and, especially, their reviews. I will never stop thanking the reviewers of this journal because they are in large part those thanks to whom high-quality scholarship is published in its pages. Some people say that reviewers' work is not compensated (in whatever way), and it is at best acknowledged. I respectfully disagree. The reviewers actually benefit from their role in two important ways.
Science & education, Jul 5, 2022
Scientific teleological explanations cite end states as causes to account for physical phenomena.... more Scientific teleological explanations cite end states as causes to account for physical phenomena. Researchers in science education have noted that students can use teleological explanations in ways that are illegitimate, for example, by implying that inanimate objects are acting intentionally. Despite such cases, several examples of legitimate teleological explanation have been described, and the use of the explanatory form in several contexts in biological education has been encouraged. We argue that, in addition to those biological cases, teleological accounts that meet two criteria can be a legitimate and valuable tool in physics education. We propose that teleological accounts are legitimate when, first, the account reflects the cause-and-effect relationships that exist in reality and, second, when the end state has a degree of necessity. Our account is based on Lange's model of constraint-based causality, in which he argues that phenomena can be explained by reference to constraints, necessary restrictions, for example, physical laws, that limit the behaviour of phenomena. We introduce seven examples of constraint-based teleology in the context of physics education and consider to what extent the two criteria are met in each case and hence their legitimacy. Five potential criticisms of the approach are introduced, discussed, and dismissed. Strategies for using legitimate teleological explanations in the physics classroom are proposed.
How are High-School Students’ Teleological and Essentialist Conceptions Expressed in the Context of Genetics and What Can Teachers Do to Address Them?
Springer eBooks, 2021
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Book Series by Kostas Kampourakis
Editorial board:
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
María Pilar Jiménez Aleixandre, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Theodore Arabatzis, University of Athens, Greece
Sibel Erduran, University of Limerick, Ireland
Martin Kusch, University of Vienna, Austria
Alan C. Love, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, USA
Michael Matthews, University of New South Wales, Australia
Andreas Müller, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Ross Nehm, Stony Brook University (SUNY), USA
Stathis Psillos, Western University, Canada
Thomas Reydon, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
Bruno J. Strasser, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Marcel Weber, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Alice Siu Ling Wong, The University of Hong Kong, China
Books by Kostas Kampourakis
Key Features
- Corrects the distorting stereotypical representations of Mendelian genetics and provides an authentic picture of how science is done, focusing on Gregor Mendel and his actual contributions to science
- Explains how the oversimplifications of Mendelian genetics were exploited by ideologues to provide the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics
- Proposes a shift in school education from teaching how the science of genetics is done using model systems to teaching the complexities of development through which heredity is materialized
Kampourakis argues that DNA ancestry testing cannot reveal a person's true ethnic identity because ethnic groups are socially and culturally constructed. In 10 accessible chapters, he explains the assumptions underlying the scientific study of ancestry, and the resulting paradoxes that are often overlooked. What the study of human DNA mostly shows is that human DNA variation is continuous, and it is not possible to clearly delimit ethnic groups based on DNA data. As a result, we all are members of a huge, extended family, and not of genetically distinct ethnic groups. What ancestry tests can provide are probabilistic estimations of similarities between the test-takers and particular reference populations. This does not devalue the results of these tests, however, because they can indeed provide some valuable information to people who may not know much about their ancestors. In fact, what the tests are very good at doing is finding close relatives, and this is perhaps why the whole enterprise should be rebranded as family, not ancestry, testing. Ultimately, this book reveals that genetic essentialism, biological ethnic identities, racial superiority, and similar social constructs are scientifically unsupported.
The first book of its kind, Uncertainty draws on philosophy of science to explain what uncertainty in science is and how it makes science advance. It contrasts evolution, climate change, and vaccination, where the uncertainties are exaggerated, to genetic testing and forensic science where the uncertainties are usually overlooked. Kampourakis and McCain discuss the scientific, psychological, and philosophical aspects of uncertainty in order to explain what it is really about, what kind of problems it actually poses, and why it ultimately makes science advance. Contrary to the public representations of scientific findings and conclusions that produce an intuitive but distorted view of science as certain, we need to understand and learn to live with uncertainty in science.
--> Presents the conceptual obstacles preventing the understanding of evolution, easing the reader into the analysis of these concepts
--> Contains numerous illustrations to help the reader understand research conclusions, processes and concepts
--> Combines conclusions and insights from research in history of science, philosophy of science and cognitive science
The aim of this book is to inform biology educators, undergraduate and graduate students in biology and related fields, students in teacher training programs, and curriculum developers about the current state of discussion on the major topics in the philosophy of biology and its implications for teaching biology. In addition, the book can be valuable to philosophers of biology as an introductory text in undergraduate and graduate courses.
Special Issues by Kostas Kampourakis
Papers by Kostas Kampourakis