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Philosophy grad students attend conference in Oaxaca
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UNT sent 2 faculty members and 3 students to attend the first ever Diversitas* Open Science Conference November 9-12, 2005 in Oaxaca, Mexico. The theme of this first conference, "Integrating biodiversity science for human well-being," is really a summary of Diversitas's two main goals, which are:

-To promote an integrative biodiversity science, linking biological, ecological and socia l disciplines in an effort to produce socially relevant new knowledge; and

-To provide the scientific basis for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

The conference was attended by nearly 700 scientific experts from around the globe, which added to the diversity atmosphere. Oaxaca seems to have been a very natural selection due to its diversity of climates and cultures. (One speaker mentioned that there are over 155 languages spoken in the Oaxaca region.)

While the majority of presenters gave very standard science presentations, the keynote speakers (which included the likes of Jane Lubchenco, Peter Raven, Harold Mooney, and Jeremy Jackson among others) were very good. There was a lot of talk throughout the week about biodiversity and integrating the sciences, but the only people that seemed to follow this train of thought to its natural conclusion were the keynote speakers, many of whom very explicitly addressed the need to integrate the sciences with philosophy. In fact one thing that came up over and over again was the need for science to make itself relevant to the average person as well as public policy makers. Peter Raven and Jeremy Jackson specifically mentioned the need for a better understanding of ethics and values, as well as the need to integrate science and philosophy, and in their closing remarks they both explicitly mentioned Ricard Rozzi and the work that is being done at the University of North Texas as far as integrating science and philosophy. While the conference itself was not as diverse as they would have liked (or believed it to be) with regards to disciplines, it was an excellent opportunity for the UNT philosophy program . The sciences are starting to open their doors and it is time for the philosophers to step through. The burden can not be entirely on the shoulder of the sciences, if the disciplined are to be integrated, it must be a participatory effort. At a time when a large number of scientists came together and openly admitted that to remain relevant they need a better understanding of philosophy, it was great to be able to stand up and say, "We are here, we agree, lets do this together…"

*Diversitas is an international, non-governmental programme, established by ICSU (International Council for Science), IUBS (International Union of Biological Sciences), IUMS (International Union of Microbiological Societies), SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment), and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).