This volume contains a selection of the contributed papers presented at the 2012 Philosophy of Science Association Biennial Meeting, which took place November 15–17 in San Diego. Two hundred fifty-nine papers were submitted for possible inclusion on the program. One hundred nineteen of these were selected for conference presentation, with 49 accepted for publication. The papers in this volume represent slightly more than 40% of those presented at the conference and slightly less than 19% of those originally submitted. A second volume devoted to the presidential address and symposium papers from the conference will follow next year.
Producing this volume required the hard work of a great many people. My largest debt is to the 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 folks endured the long process required to read, evaluate, and select essays for both the conference and this volume, and they did so with diligence, integrity, and—above all—good judgment. My respect for these individuals, on both intellectual and personal grounds, has only been enhanced, and I cannot thank them enough.
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 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.
The PSA Governing Board provided financial support that allowed me to enlist the help of two graduate students at the University of Washington. Jon Rosenberg facilitated data management for the initial review process, and Olin Robus carefully read all the manuscripts in this volume, checking for formatting issues and catching many small errors. They made my job considerably easier.
Finally, I am grateful to Jim Woodward 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. These papers will push our discipline forward.
