Politics and Life Sciences

APLS-CINCINNATI: SEMI-FINAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE September 8, 2011

Here is the link to the semi-final draft of the APLS-Cincinnati program.

http://inside.msj.edu/academics/faculty/whiter/PRELIMINARYSCHEDULE.pdf

This draft includes a couple of additions, a couple of withdrawals, and a couple of schedule changes. I also took the liberty to appoint several program chairs without consulting those individuals. (Sorry but I’m buried in work right now!) If you would rather decline that appointment/invitation let me know at aplswebmaster@gmail.com  RON

APLS MEETING IN CINCINNATI, OCT 13-15. June 17, 2011

The deadline for submission of abstracts for the APLS meeting in Cincinnati is June 30.  We have openings on several panels and roundtables that we’re looking to fill. We have a roundtable discussion of Scott M. James new book An Introduction to Evolutionary Ethics (Wiley-Blackwell). I have a couple of free copies of the book available if anyone is interested in sitting on that panel. I reviewed it for Choice Magazine. It’s a great book. Scott will be attending.  (no abstract required for roundtable participants!)  We will have a similar roundtable discussion of our keynote’s new book : Mark van Vugt’s Naturally Selected: Naturally Selected: The Evolutionary Science of Leadership.  It would be great if a substantial number of APLS members could read it before the meeting. 

Right now we have several panels in need of 1-2 members including:  warfare, ethics, environmental issues, health care reform, various aspects of leadership and followership, and the “Arab Spring.”  We are also looking for abstracts on the relationship between biology and various strands of social and political theory, especially: totalitarianism, welfare liberalism, and libertarianism.

Peter Corning, The Fair Society: The Science of Human Nature and the Pursuit of Social Justice (University of Chicago Press, Apr. 2011) March 21, 2011

Here is Peter Corning’s new book. We will be discussing it on the APLS Blog in April.

Peter Corning, The Fair Society:  The Science of Human Nature and the Pursuit of Social Justice  (University of Chicago Press, Apr. 2011)
                           
From the taxpayer bailouts for Wall Street banks to offshore tax havens for billionaires and subsidies for wealthy farmers, life is obviously unfair.  But as Peter Corning shows in THE FAIR SOCIETY, we have the power to change this for the better.
 
Corning sees fairness as a fundamental issue in all of our social relationships.  It requires us to balance the needs and interests of all concerned.  He believes we need to make fairness a guiding principle in our families, our communities, in the workplace, and in our politics.
 
In light of the emerging science of human nature, Corning defines fairness in a new way.   The evidence confirms that most of us do have an innate sense of fairness, though it can easily be subverted by cultural, economic, and political influences, not to mention the lure of our self-interests.  In the extreme, a pattern of unfairness can lead to social turmoil and even revolution.
 
Corning argues that both capitalism and socialism fail the fairness test — both in theory and in practice — and he calls for a new social contract based on three complementary fairness principles: equality in relation to our basic needs, equity (or merit) in relation to our personal efforts and accomplishments, and reciprocity – an obligation for everyone to contribute a fair share in return for the benefits they receive from society.
 
Corning also proposes a set of transformative economic and political reforms that would move us toward the ideal of what he terms a Fair Society, including full employment and a “basic needs guarantee” for all of our people, a shift in our economic system toward stakeholder (versus shareholder) capitalism, a strong effort to promote cooperative, not-for-profit community development and, not least, a life-long community service ethic that would include a year or two of national service for all who are able to do so.
 
A fair society, Corning concludes, is the key to our future as a secure, stable, and successful nation.
 
 
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE FAIR SOCIETY
 
“This important and topical volume is firmly grounded on the abundant empirical and theoretical research that underlines the social evolution and cooperative nature of humans. The current economic crisis should prompt us to look for new solutions, and this book outlines an attractive and viable alternative to the flawed economic systems that dominated the twentieth century.”
 
– Geoffrey M. Hodgson, Research Professor in Business Studies at the University of Hertfordshire (England) and author of The Evolution of Institutional Economics (2004) and How Economics Forgot History (2001), among other books.
 
“Peter Corning paints a compelling picture of the excessive inequalities of income, wealth and power in American society, and the damage they cause.  More importantly, he makes a strong case for fairness – arguing that equality, equity, and reciprocity are central to humanity’s social needs and collective flourishing.”
 
                — Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level: How Greater Equality Makes Societies
                  Stronger
 
“Once again Peter Corning has produced a book that is engaging as well as intellectually solid. Corning’s integration of the topics of human nature and social justice could not be more timely. The Fair Society is a must read for anyone interested in a science-based approach to fairness and sustainability.”
 
– John M. Gowdy, Rittenhouse Professor of Humanities and Social Science, Department of Economics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and author of Paradise for Sale. 
“A clear, rational and clarifying voice in these troubled times, with a compelling vision of a fair society. I am truly grateful.”
 
                — Constance Hellyer, Co-founder, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Eatonville, Washington
 
 “Peter Corning’s advocacy for a return to the first principles from which a just society surely derives immediately identifies the huge distance which our practices have strayed from the ancient ideal.  He argues that a new enlightenment, a new comprehensive moral platform might arise from human nature, and from a universal common needs approach. It is richly informed by modern science. “
 
                –  Walter Bortz, M.D., Professor, Stanford Medical School, past president, American                         Geriatrics Society, author of Next Medicine (2010) among other books, and still at 80 a       marathoner.
 
_____________________________________________
Peter Corning is the director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems, a one-time science writer for Newsweek and professor in Human Biology at Stanford University, and the author of several previous books.  His blog is www.thefairsociety.blogspot.com  and he can also be found on Facebook

ASSOCIATION FOR POLITICS AND THE LIFE SCIENCES: ANNUAL MEETING March 9, 2011

Twenty-Ninth Annual Meeting

Association for Politics and the Life Sciences

 Garfield Suites Hotel

Cincinnati, Ohio

October 13 – October 15, 2011

ANNOUNCEMENT: The 2011 Annual Meeting of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) will be held October 13 to October 15, 2011 at the Garfield Suites Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 CALL FOR PAPERS: Individual paper presentations, panel, and roundtable proposals are welcome on any topic that pertains to the following broad categories: New directions in politics and the life sciences, biobehavior, life science policies, neurology and politics, bioethics, bioterrorism, genetics and politics, biotechnology, and the environment

 THEME: This year’s theme will be “Leadership and the Life Sciences.” The important of leadership as a unifying theme for APLS research is more than obvious. We continue to deal with the aftermath of a recent epidemic of corporate and governmental leadership failures as evidenced by the bank failures, spiraling executive compensation, BP Oil Spill, and political unrest in the Middle East. Issues to be discussed will relate to the APLS mission: political behavior, public policy, and ethics. Possible research topics might address some the following questions:

 How does the nature of leadership and followership among primates, primitive human societies, elucidate contemporary leadership?

 Does the co-evolution of leadership and followership contribute to our understanding of leadership success and/or failure?   

 How does evolutionary biology explain ethics, leadership, and /or ethical leadership.?

 What does evolutionary biology say about the preponderance of male political and business leaders?

 How does evolutionary biology explain recent regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt, and the Middle East?    

 To what extent is the decline of science education in the United States the result of leadership failure?

 What role does the rapid development of social networking technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Wiki-Leaks play in the dynamics of leadership and followership?

 To what extend are complex public policy issues such as health care reform, global warming, drug war, and the war on terrorism shaped by the nature of leadership?  

  NOTE: Although participants are encouraged to address the conference theme, other topics are also welcome. .

 TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS: The Program Committee will consider proposals for individual paper presentations, for research panels, and for roundtables. For paper presentations, please send via email attachment, an abstract (preferably in Word) not to exceed 200 words that includes: the title of your presentation, your name and title, and institutional affiliation to aplswebmaster@gmail.com . For research panels and roundtables, send to the same email address a description not to exceed 200 words of the proposed panel or roundtable that includes the panel title, your name as “organizer,” your affiliation and contact information for all other panel and roundtable participants. All panel members should still submit abstracts for their individual papers and also indicate their panel affiliation. The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 30, 2011.

 KEYNOTE LECTURE: The keynote lecture will be delivered by Mark van Vugt, author of Naturally Selected: The Evolutionary Science of Leadership (Harper Collins: 2011).  Mark is a professor of social and organizational psychology at the VU University Amsterdam and a research associate at Oxford University. He is the author of more than 100 scientific articles, books, and book chapters in which he applies evolutionary perspectives to understand human social and organizational behavior.

 HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS: A block of rooms for meeting participants and attendees has been reserved at the Garfield Suites Hotel, the site of the 2007 APLS meeting. All of the rooms are spacious suites and include two televisions, free high-speed wireless Internet, refrigerators, and free shuttle service around downtown. The Garfield is located two blocks north of Fountain Square,  which was under construction in 2007. Today it’s the site of many fine restaurants and civic activity. When you make your reservations mention that you are with the APLS Meeting to obtain the special rate ($79 single, $99 double). Hotel parking is $6.00 a day. 

 For more hotel information: Garfield Suites Hotel, 2 Garfield Place, Cincinnati OH 45202

Toll-free reservations: (800) 367-2155.

 AIRPORT: Executive Transportation  shuttle service is available from the Greater Cincinnati International Airport to the Garfield Suites If you wish to obtain pricing information or make use of this service please call (800) 990-8841 or log onto their website:

 REGISTRATION FEES:

Members:  $125

Non Members: $150

Students: $50 (contact Erik Bucy to inquire about fee waivers: ebucy@indiana.edu) Please pay by September 30, 2011 to avoid late fee.

Note that a Membership with online subscription to Politics and the Life Sciences is $25. Go to  http://ww.aplsnet.org to sign up.  

 CONTACT US:

E-Mail: aplswebmaster@gmail.com (Ron White: Program Director)

Website: http://www.aplsnet.org

Blog: http://politicsandlifesciences.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Association-for-Politics-and-the-Life-Sciences/236630397139