Sandra Mitchell

Sandra Mitchell (* 1951 ) is Professor of Philosophy of Science and History of Science at the University of Pittsburgh . Her areas of interest are the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of the social sciences . Her work on methodological problems in researching complex systems , especially in biology, is well known .

Life

Mitchell earned her bachelor's degree in philosophy from Pitzer College , California in 1973 . In 1975 a master's degree at the London School of Economics followed , and in 1987 a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh.

Mitchell conducted research at both Ohio State University (1985–1989) and the University of California at San Diego (1993–1999) before taking on a professorship at the University of Pittsburgh in 2000. During the 1990s, she spent research periods at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research at Bielefeld University and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin .

Integrative pluralism

Mitchell mentions Rudolf Carnap , Karl Popper , Imre Lakatos and Thomas Samuel Kuhn as her influences . She describes her epistemological position as "integrative pluralism". For the scientific description of complex systems, she considers a pluralism of different levels of explanation and models to be essential, whereby the selection of the most suitable level should be guided by pragmatic points of view. Mitchell emphasizes the ceaseless advancement of scientific knowledge. It demands that decisions and methods be adapted to current requirements and new insights and that the currently best explanations at various levels are continuously checked for compatibility.

Works

• Biological Complexity and Integrative Pluralism , Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 9780521817530
• Complexities. Why are we only just beginning to understand the world. , Suhrkamp, ​​2008. ISBN 978-3-518-26001-2

Web links

• Homepage of Sandra Mitchell at the University of Pittsburgh (English)