This volume contains the presidential address and a selection of papers from symposium sessions presented at the 2012 Philosophy of Science Association Biennial Meeting, which took place November 15–17 in San Diego. Fifty-four symposium proposals were submitted for possible inclusion on the program, of which 25 were accepted. A total of 109 papers were presented in these symposia, of which 37 were selected for publication in this volume, representing approximately 34% of those presented at the conference. A previous volume devoted to contributed papers appeared in December 2013.
Producing this volume required the hard work of a great many people. My largest debt by far is to members of the program committee: Gordon Belot, Alisa Bokulich, Carl Craver, Malcolm Forster, Steven French, Stephan Hartmann, Christopher Hitchcock, Kristen Intemann, Harold Kincaid, Edouard Machery, John Manchak, Jill North, Kathleen Okruhlik, Wendy Parker, Anya Plutynski, Chris Smeenk, Chris Stephens, Stephen Turner, and C. Kenneth Waters. These good folks endured the long process required to read, evaluate, and select symposia for the conference and essays for this volume, and they did so with diligence, patience, and integrity. I cannot thank them enough. I also thank Michael Franke, Simon Huttegger, and Gerhard Jaeger, who joined the committee to review symposium papers that required particular technical expertise.
Gary Hardcastle, executive secretary of the PSA at the time of the conference, guided me systematically through the various roles required of the program chair. In ways I never before appreciated, the executive secretary almost single-handedly brings the biennial conferences into being; I doubt I could have done my job without Gary, and know it would have been much less fun. Jessica Pfeifer, current executive secretary, swooped in at a crucial point to keep things running smoothly after a website glitch. Steve Downes, Alan Richardson, and Miriam Solomon, previous PSA program chairs, offered ready advice and encouragement through a litany of small questions. I thank them all.
I also received tremendous help from the folks in the editorial office for Philosophy of Science, which runs like a well-oiled machine. Jeff Barrett, editor of the journal, offered support and advice at every stage. Jim Weatherall managed submissions and modified the online system to accommodate my requirements for the review process. Cailin O’Connor managed the original submission of symposium papers, and Hannah Rubin subsequently handled the accepted manuscripts, getting papers to press in good shape and ensuring a smooth production process. It has been a real pleasure working with each of them. My gratitude also goes to the staff at University of Chicago Press, including Tess Mullen and Kristin Foster, who handled production of both proceedings volumes.
The PSA Governing Board provided financial support for assistance from two graduate students at the University of Washington. Jon Rosenberg facilitated data management for the initial review process, and Olin Robus helped to prepare manuscripts for publication. Their unflagging help made my job considerably easier.
Finally, I am grateful to Jim Woodward, President of the PSA at the time of the conference, for asking me to chair the PSA 2012 program committee. The experience has enhanced my understanding of the landscape of contemporary philosophy of science and allowed me to interact with many of the best people in our field, including the authors whose work you will find here. As past chairs can attest, this job is rewarding primarily because of the rich intellectual work that PSA members share through the conference and proceedings volumes. Thus it is fitting that my final thanks go to the symposium participants, whose collaborations with colleagues generated sessions that aspired to be more than the sum of their parts.
