Sahotra Sarkar

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Sahotra Sarkar (born 1962) is a philosopher of science [1] and conservation biologist[2] at the University of Texas at Austin. He is one of the founders of systematic conservation planning within conservation biology, promoting the use of multi-criteria decision analysis [3] and supervising the creation of the ConsNet decision support system.[4] In this context he has advocated participatory environmental planning and strongly criticized the imposition of authoritarian and discriminatory environmental policies on local residents.[5] His laboratory also works on a suite of neglected tropical diseases (or diseases of poverty) including Chagas disease,[6] dengue,[7] leishmaniasis,[8] and tick-borne diseases.[9][10]

In the philosophy of biology Sarkar is known for his work on reductionism[11] and criticism of hereditarian thinking in biology[12][13] as well as the use of informational concepts in molecular biology.[14] In the philosophy of physics Sarkar is known for controversially defending the conventionalism of simultaneity in special relativity (with John Stachel)[15] and suggesting a stochastic modification of quantum dynamics.[16] Earlier in his career he worked in mathematical population genetics where, in collaboration with Wing Ma and Guido Sandri, he was responsible for the standard recursion relation to compute the Luria-Delbruck distribution in bacterial genetics.[17][18]

Sarkar is also a noted critic of creationism and intelligent design[19][20] and played an important role in combating attempts to introduce creationism into high school curricula in Texas.[21][22]

Sarkar is originally from India where he lived in Darjeeling until 1975.[23] He earned a BA from Columbia University, and a MA and PhD from the University of Chicago. He was a Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (1996 -1997), the Dibner Institute for the History of Science (1993 -1994), and the Edelstein Centre for the Philosophy of Science (1992). He was a Visiting Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin (1997 -1998, 2002 -2003) and taught at McGill University before moving to Texas. His doctoral students include Michael Ciarleglio, David Frank, Trevon Fuller, Justin Garson, Susan Mooney, and Samraat Pawar.

Books

  • Sahotra Sarkar, Genetics and Reductionism (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology). Cambridge University Press (October 13, 1998) ISBN 0-521-63713-9
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Molecular Models of Life: Philosophical Papers on Molecular Biology (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology). The MIT Press (March 30, 2007) ISBN 0-262-69350-X
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy: An Introduction (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology). Cambridge University Press (September 19, 2005) ISBN 0-521-85132-7
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Doubting Darwin: Creationist Designs on Evolution. Blackwell (April 20, 2007) ISBN 1-4051-5491-8
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Environmental Philosophy: From Theory ot Practice. Wiley-Blackewell (2012)
  • Chris Margules and Sahotra Sarkar, Systematic Conservation Planning (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation). Cambridge University Press. (October 8, 2007) ISBN 0-521-70344-1
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Ed., Science and Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: Basic Works of Logical Empiricism. 6 Volumes. Routledge (February 1, 1996)
  • Sahotra Sarkar, Ed., Logical Empiricism and the Special Sciences : Reichenbach, Feigl, and Nagel (Science and Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: Basic Works of Logical Empiricism) Routledge; 1 edition (February 1, 1996) ISBN 0-8153-2265-8
  • Sahotra Sarkar and Jessica Pfeifer, Eds., The Philosophy of Science: An Encyclopedia Routledge.(December 9, 2005)
  • Sahotra Sarkar and Anya Plutynksi, Eds., Companion to the Philosophy of Biology (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy). Wiley-Blackwell (March 14, 2008) ISBN 1-4051-2572-1

References

  1. ↑ , Department of Philosophy, University of Texas
  2. ↑ Faculty, Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas
  3. ↑ Moffett, A. and Sarkar, S. 2006. Incorporating Multiple Criteria into the Design of Conservation Area Networks: A Minireview with Recommendations. Diversity and Distributions 12: 125 -137.
  4. ↑ Ciarleglio, M., Barnes, J. W., and Sarkar, S. 2009. ConsNet: New Software for the Selection of Conservation Area Networks with Spatial and Multi-Criteria Analyses. Ecography 32: 205 -209
  5. ↑ Sarkar, S. 1999. Wilderness Preservation and Biodiversity Conservation—Keeping Divergent Goals Distinct. BioScience 49: 405 -412
  6. ↑ Sarkar, S., Strutz, S., Frank, D. M., Rivaldi, C. –L., Sissel, B., and Sánchez-Cordero, V. 2010. Chagas Disease Risk in Texas. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 4 (10): e836. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000836.
  7. ↑ Gardner, L., Fajardo, D., Waller, S. T., Wang, O., and Sarkar, S. 2012. A Predictive Spatial Model to Quantify the Risk of Air-Travel-Associated Dengue Importation into the United States and Europe. Journal of Tropical Medicine 2012: Article ID 103679. DOI: 10.1155/2012/103679.
  8. ↑ González, C., Wang, O., Strutz, S., González-Salazar, C., Sánchez-Cordero, V., and Sarkar, S. 2010. Climate Change and Risk of Leishmaniasis in North America: Predictions from Ecological Niche Models of Vector and Reservoir Species. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 4 (1): e585. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000585.
  9. ↑ Illoldi-Rangel, P. Rivaldi, C. –L., Sissel, B., Fryxell, R. T., Gordillo-Pérez, G., Rodríguez-Moreno, A., Williamson, P., Montiel-Parra, G., Sánchez-Cordero, V., and Sarkar, S. 2012. Species Distribution Models and Ecological Suitability Analysis for Potential Tick Vectors of Lyme Disease in México. Journal of Tropical Medicine 2012: Article ID 959101. DOI: 10.1155/2012/959101.
  10. ↑ Atkinson, S. F., Sarkar, S., Aviña, A., Schuermann, J. A. and Williamson, P. 2012. Modeling Spatial Concordance between Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Disease Incidence and Habitat Probability of Its Vector Dermacentor variabilis (American DogTick). Geospatial Health 7: 91 -100.
  11. ↑ Sarkar, S. 1998. Genetics and Reductionism. New York: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in the Philosophy of Biology.
  12. ↑ Sarkar, S. 1999. From the Reaktionsnorm to the Adaptive Norm: The Norm of Reaction, 1909 -1960. Biology and Philosophy 14: 235 -252.
  13. ↑ Laubichler, M. and Sarkar, S. 2002. Flies, Genes, and Brains: Oskar Vogt, Nikolai Timoféeff-Ressovsky, and the Origin of the Concepts of Penetrance and Expressivity. In Parker, L. S. and Ankeny, R. Eds. Medical Genetics, Conceptual Foundations and Classic Questions. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 63 -85.
  14. ↑ Sarkar, S. 1996. Biological Information: A Skeptical Look at Some Central Dogmas of Molecular Biology. In Sarkar, S., Ed. The Philosophy and History of Molecular Biology: New Perspectives. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 187 -231.
  15. ↑ Sarkar, S. and Stachel, J. 1999. Did Malament Prove the Non-Conventionality of Simultaneity in the Special Theory of Relativity? Philosophy of Science 66: 208 -220.
  16. ↑ Sarkar, S. 1997. The Itô Formalism and Stochastic Modifications of Quantum Dynamics. In Cohen, R. S., Horne, M. and Stachel, J. Eds. Experimental Metaphysics: Quantum Mechanical Studies in Honor of Abner Shimony. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 157 -169.
  17. ↑ Ma, W. T., Sandri, G. v., and Sarkar, S. 1992. Analysis of the Luria-Delbrück Distribution Using Discrete Convolution Powers. Journal of Applied Probability 29: 255 -267.
  18. ↑ Sarkar, S., Ma, W. T., and Sandri, G. v. 1992. On Fluctuation Analysis: A New, Simple and Efficient Method for Computing the Expected Number of Mutants. Genetica 85: 173 -179.
  19. ↑ "Fine-Tuned Deception: Say hello to the new stealth creationism.". The American Prospect. December 7, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  20. ↑ ""Intelligent Design" Creationism Is An Immoral Fraud". Jewcy. il 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  21. ↑ "Group urges no politics, religion in science curriculum". Houston Chronicle. Sep 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  22. ↑ "Compiled by Jeremy Egner". Austin American-Statesman. Feb 15, 2002. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  23. ↑ "Lecture by Sahotra Sarkar". University of North Texas. September 18, 2002. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 

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