Evelyn Brister
Professor of Philosophy
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY 14623 USA
✉ elbgsl@rit.edu
Philosophy is a tool for thoughtful decision-making. It helps us make sense of how our world is and how we’d like it to be, and it gives us strategies for moving from one to the other.
Research
I’m a philosopher interested in ethics, justice, and decision-making for environmental conservation, land use, and sustainability. My research has to do with environmental values, political theory in environmental policy, the epistemology of conservation science, and mobilizing philosophers to better address policy issues. The complexity of environmental decision-making has also led to work on interdisciplinarity, especially interdisciplinary approaches that integrate humanities/social science with STEM research. In addition, I’ve written on epistemic contextualism, pragmatism, the history of analytic philosophy, scientific objectivity, STEM pedagogy, and forest history.
Recent publications:
A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits, edited with Robert Frodeman and Luther Propst, University of Utah Press, 2024.
A Guide to Field Philosophy: Case Studies and Practical Strategies, edited with Robert Frodeman, Routledge, 2020.
Pragmatism, Problem Solving, and Strategies for Engaged Philosophy. In Samantha Noll and Zach Piso, eds. Fields, Farmers, Forks, and Food: The Philosophy of Paul B. Thompson. Springer, 2023: 17-32.
Pragmatism and Environmental Philosophy. In Scott Aikin and Robert B. Talisse, eds. The Routledge Companion to Pragmatism. Routledge, 2023: 387-394.
The Value of Public Philosophy. In Lee McIntyre, Nancy McHugh, and Ian Olasov, eds. The Blackwell Companion to Public Philosophy. Wiley Blackwell, 2022: 41-52
Field Philosophy and Social Justice. Social Epistemology 35(4): 393-404, 2021
Conservation Science and the Ethos of Restraint, with J. Britt Holbrook and Megan J. Palmer. Conservation Science and Practice 3(4), 2021
Intended Consequences Statement, with Ryan Phelan, Paul Robbins, and others. Conservation Science and Practice 3(4), 2021
Not the Same Old Chestnut: Rewilding Forests with Biotechnology, with Andrew Newhouse. Environmental Ethics 42(2): 149-167, 2020
Disciplinary Capture and Epistemological Obstacles to Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from Central African Conservation Disputes. Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 56: 82-91, 2016
Here’s a brief CV.
Field Philosophy
Field philosophy promotes collaborative problem-solving. It involves working as a member of a team to address a real-world problem. It evaluates success according to the criteria of collaborators and is aimed at a policy recommendation, technology, or social reform. Field philosophers contribute critique, interpret evidence, analyze concepts, and expand options. Philosophical fieldwork aims to make philosophy useful and to connect philosophical debates with real-world needs.
Together with Robert Frodeman, I have run workshops on field philosophy at conferences (Public Philosophy Network 2021, Society for the Social Studies of Science 2021) and a 3-day workshop sponsored by RIT and the Public Philosophy Network.
Conservation
It’s important to create actionable science for conservation. How can biotechnologies support conservation goals? Can we better evaluate restoration and land management practices? How can we negotiate value trade-offs in restoration and conservation? How can we best include stakeholders in environmental decision-making?
I participate on an Ethics and Public Policy Panel to evaluate advanced technologies for the preservation of biological systems and how they can be used for conservation purposes.
In 2023 I was a contributor to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s workshop on “Benefits Sharing and Biodiversity Discovery” to recommend ethical guidelines for collecting and banking biodiversity samples.
In 2022-24 I participated in an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates on Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving in Human Dominated Wetland Ecosystems.
In 2021 I was on Barry Lam’s philosophical podcast Hi-Phi Nation, an episode titled “Life, Edited.”
In 2020 I participated in a workshop run by Revive and Restore to evaluate opportunities to use genetic interventions to achieve “Intended Consequences.”
Events
What’s been happening? What’s coming up?
May 28 - Aug. 1, 2024: REU on Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving in Human Dominated Wetlands, RIT
June 19, 2024: “Three Dimensions of Urgency” with Yasha Rohwer, World Biodiversity Forum, Davos
November 18, 2024: “A Watershed Moment: A Discussion about the Future of the West” with Robert Frodeman, Matthew Kauffman and Drew Bennett at the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
November 21, 2024: Book Launch for A Watershed Moment, Wallace Stegner Center, University of Utah, with Seth Arens, Bonnie Baxter, and Robert Frodeman
November 22, 2024: “Confluence: Resource Limitations in the West through the Lens of Art, Science, and the Humanities” with Crystal Carr, Paul Rogers, Bonnie Baxter, and Robert Frodeman, together with a reception featuring art and music.
March 6-7, 2025: “The Frontier Has Closed: Western Communities Confront Limits,” Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, University of Denver, with Luther Propst and Robert Frodeman