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The Society of Empirical Ethics, a component of the American Philosophical Association, along with the department of Religious Studies at Hamilton College, and the Institute for Applied Ethics at Utica College will hold a colloquium, "Science and the Foundation of Ethics," on Oct. 25-27 at the Century House in Cazenovia.

The colloquium will examine the connections between modern empirical science and philosophical inquiry into the foundation of ethics. Heidi Ravven, professor of religious studies at Hamilton College and one of the colloquium organizers says, "This is a crossover conference for philosophers who think about ethics, and geneticists whose work bears on how humans become ethical. It's a cross disciplinary discussion."

Ravven said the purpose of the colloquium is to foster conversation among academics from a range of disciplines. Rather than formal papers and presentations, the weekend will be structured around focused discussions of suggested readings in the areas of sociology, anthropology, neurobiology and economics/rational choice theory, to name a few.

Among participants are Roger Masters, research professor at Dartmouth College, Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government, Emeritus at Dartmouth College and president of the Foundation for Neuroscience and Society; Charles Sidman, professor of molecular genetics, biochemistry and microbiology, College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati; and William Provine, department of ecology and  evolutionary biology, Cornell University.

The Society for Empirical Ethics exists to foster conversation about ethics between philosophy and the empirical sciences. The Society's work is based on the assumptions that ethical claims can be grounded in a conception of human flourishing, that human flourishing is a feature of the natural world and amenable to empirical investigation, and that empirical investigation into human flourishing cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The Institute of Applied Ethics at Utica College was founded in 1986 and has been affiliated with Utica College since 1987. Its fundamental purpose is to serve the Mohawk Valley region by promoting reflection upon and public discussion of ethical issues in health care and the related fields of law, social legislation, and business. The Institute provides the community with a resource of informed people willing and able to assist in the assessment of ethical problems, and sponsors conferences, seminars, workshops, and lectures for both professionals and the general public.

Among the participants, Roger Masters' work at Dartmouth is the philosophic and scientific exploration of the role of human nature in political and social behavior. In political philosophy, his studies have emphasized Rousseau and Machiavelli and the implications of contemporary biology for understanding human nature. Recently, his research has focused on cognitive neuroscience, the nonverbal behavior of leaders, and the effects of toxic metals (such as lead and manganese) on human behavior. William Provine's research interests are the history of biology, especially evolutionary theory, and the history of geneticists' attitudes toward human race differences and race crossing.

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