Ian Stewart

BSc (Trent), MA (Tor), PhD (Cantab)

Ian Stewart joined King’s in 1995 as a teaching fellow in the Foundation Year Program (FYP). Back in the 80s, mid-way through his undergraduate degree in physics, he realized that the sciences interested him more from the perspectives of philosophical, historical and sociological analysis. After completing his BSc (Hons) at Trent University, he studied in the field of history and philosophy of science at Toronto (MA), and at Cambridge (PhD).

Ian is currently an assistant professor in the History of Science and Technology Program, and also teaches in the Foundation Year and Early Modern Studies Programs. He is also adjunct professor at the Department of Classics, Dalhousie University, and Research Member, Environmental Information: Use and Impact (www.eiui.ca) at the School of Information Management, Dalhousie University. He is also co-lead on a pan-Canadian project building a network of social science/humanities scholars working on environmental impact assessment methodologies and policies.

Ian Stewart’s full list of publications, papers and projects [PDF]

Publications

a. Peer-reviewed articles and book chapters

• Porges, Karl, Stewart, Ian G., Hoßfeld, Uwe, & Levit, G.S. (2019a). From idea to law: Theory, concept and terminological formation in Ernst Haeckel’s works. Forthcoming in Russian Journal of Developmental Biology 50(6). [confirmation letter from the editor attached to this CV]
• ——- (2019b) Russian translation, Т ИДЕИ К ЗАКОНУ: ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ТЕОРИЙ, КОНЦЕПЦИЙ И ТЕРМИНОЛОГИИ В РАБОТАХ ЭРНСТА ГЕККЕЛЯ. Ontogenez 50(6), 1–15.
• Stewart, I., Hossfeld, Uwe, & Levit, G.S. (2019). Evolutionary ethics and Haeckelian monism: The case of Heinrich Schmidt’s Harmonie (1931). Theory in Biosciences 138, 189–202.
• Karabanow, J., & Stewart, I.G. (2019). Between policy and practice: Ethical challenges in longitudinal applied social science research. In F. McSweeney & D. Williams (Eds.), Designing and conducting research in social science, health and social care (pp. 75–89). New York: Routledge.

b. Book reviews and review essays

• Stewart, I.G. (2019). The unavoidable tension in the “science vs policy” divide [Review essay of Discerning experts: The practices of scientific assessment for environmental policy, by Michael Oppenheimer et al.]. Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science, 50(2). [forthcoming]
• Stewart, I.G. (2017). L’impossible dialogue: Sciences et religions, by Yves Gingras. Isis 108(1), 103–104.

c. Non peer-reviewed publications

• Stewart, I.G. (2019). What’s in a Word: Taking “Stock.” Blog post https://sshoresite.wordpress.com/
• Westwood, A., et al. (2018). Strong foundations: Recap and recommendations from scientists regarding the federal environmental and regulatory reviews. Report submitted to the Government of Canada, Environmental and Regulatory Reviews.

Recent Papers and Presentations

• (2019, June). Some perspectives on socio-epistemic challenges of impact assessment. Advancing Impact Assessment in Canada’s Natural Resources Sectors, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
• (2019, June). Public engagement in oil spill preparedness and response (OSPR): Challenges and possibilities. 42nd ECCC AMOP Technical Seminar, Halifax.
• (2019, March). Environmental assessments and co-production. Working with Co-Production Workshop, University of Ottawa, ON.
• (2018, October). Divine providence in things human and cosmological: Plato’s Timaeus and Boethius’ Consolation of philosophy. Boethius Day Symposium, University of King’s College, Halifax, NS.

Research interests

• Renaissance and early-modern natural philosophies
• History of the universities
• Public understanding of science – past and present
• Social sciences and humanities dimensions to impact assessment theory and practice