KEVIN C. ELLIOTT

Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

Areas of Interest

• Practical Ethics (Environmental, Biomedical, Scientific Research)
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Biology
• Science and Values
• Science and Religion

My research lies at the intersection of the philosophy of science and practical ethics. Many of my case studies involve controversial research topics in contemporary toxicology (e.g., hormesis, endocrine disruption, multiple chemical sensitivity, nanotoxicology) that are relevant to public policy. My current projects can be divided roughly into the following areas:

• Research in environmental philosophy, including both environmental pragmatism and philosophical issues associated with the regulation of toxic chemicals;
• Examination of the scientific discovery process, including “exploratory experimentation” as well as the nature and significance of scientific anomalies;
• Investigation of the role and significance of values in scientific research, including implications for responding to conflicts of interest, disseminating controversial research results, and incorporating public involvement in science policy;
• Analysis of the moral status of the human embryo, especially in light of biological and philosophical studies of development.

Select Publications

“Scientific Judgment and the Limits of Conflict-of-Interest Policies,” Accountability in Research: Policies and Quality Assurance 15: forthcoming.

“Hormesis, Ethics, and Public Policy: An Overview,” Human and Experimental Toxicology 27: forthcoming.

“Norton’s Conception of Sustainability: Political Not Metaphysical?” Environmental Ethics 29 (2007): 3-22.

“An Ironic Reductio for a Pro-Life Argument: Hurlbut’s Stem Cell Proposal,” Bioethics 21 (2007): 99-111.

“The Anomaly of Chemical Hormesis: Shaping Environmental Science and Policy,” in D. Guston and D. Sarewitz (eds.) Shaping Science and Technology Policy: The Next Generation of Research. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2006, pp. 124-148.

“A Novel Account of Scientific Anomaly: Help for the Dispute Over Low-Dose Chemical Effects,” Philosophy of Science (2006 Proceedings): 790-802.

“Toward an Ethics of Expertise Based on Informed Consent,” Science and Engineering Ethics 12 (2006): 637-661.

“Hormesis and Environmental Policy: An Ethical Analysis,” Public Affairs Quarterly 20 (2006): 31-53.

“Developmental Systems Theory and Human Embryos: A Response to Austriaco,” National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 5 (2005): 49-59.

“Error as Means to Discovery,” Philosophy of Science 71 (2004): 1-24.

“Conceptual Clarification and Policy-Related Science: The Case of Chemical Hormesis,” Perspectives on Science 8 (2000): 346-366.

This page: http://people.cas.sc.edu/elliotke/
Last update: 12/04/2007 2:13 PM