Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
Encyclopedia
The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) was formed in 1981 and exists to study the field of biopolitics
as a subfield of political science
. APLS owns and publishes an academic peer-reviewed journal, called Politics and the Life Sciences
(PLS), semi-annually in March and September. The journal is edited at Indiana University at Bloomington.
" (or "scholarly association") has been shaped by both intellectual and political forces within academe. The intellectual content cultivated by the APLS was shaped in the 1960s and 1970s, as brain sciences, ethology, sociobiology reshaped orthodoxy in psychology, sociology, philosophy, and political science. By the 1980s, members of well-established scholarly associations founded new organizations devoted to assimilating evolutionary biology into their respective disciplines. As a result, exciting new interdisciplinary lines of inquiry, organizations, educational programs, and journals were created. As the older "disciplinary" institutions and newer "interdisciplinary" associations competed for scholarly prestige, membership, and financial resources, some of these newer scholarly associations survived by remaining affiliated with the older, well-established associations while others became independent, freestanding institutions.
In 1973, International Political Science Association
(IPSA) became the first scholarly organization to recognize the discipline known as "biopolitics." Albert Somit founded IPSA’s Research Committee #12 (Biology and Politics), which continues to provide an international forum for cutting-edge research on the biological foundations of political behavior.
Beginning in 1980, amidst growing interest in biopolitics the United States, the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences was organized by Thomas Wiegele from Northern Illinois University
along with a coterie of likeminded "founders" including: Carol Barner-Barry, Lynton K. Caldwell, Peter Corning, James C. Davies, Samuel Hines, Fred Kort, Roger Masters, Steven Peterson, Glendon Schubert, James Schubert, Albert Somit, John Wahlke, and Meredith Watts. Its stated purpose was to "advance interest in and encourage scholarship about biopolitics." Realization of this goal entailed a two pronged approach: First, to "establish biopolitics as a recognized field within political science." And second, to "integrate biologically-based research methods into mainstream political science." In 1981, APLS became institutionalized as an organized section of the American Political Science Association
(APSA), and two years later the first issue of its journal Politics and the Life Sciences was published. The late Thomas C. Wiegele was the founding executive director of APLS and editor of PLS.
Other evolutionarily-based scholarly associations were also founded in the 1980s. In 1988, the Human Behavior and Evolution Society
(HBES) was founded, and nine years later the first edition of its journal Evolution and Human Behavior
was published. Even today, many APLS members are also associated with these and other likeminded groups of scholars, such as the International Society For Human Ethology (ISHE).
The first independent meeting of the APLS was held September 3-6, 1998 in Boston with Edward O. Wilson providing the keynote address. In 1999, the second meeting was held in Atlanta with Frans de Waal as keynote. Subsequent meetings were held in: Washington D.C; Atlanta; Charleston; Montreal, Chicago; Philadelphia; Bloomington, Indiana; and, Cincinnati.
Since its founding APLS has become increasingly international and even more interdisciplinary. Between 1981 and 1985, APLS’s interdisciplinary focus and its collegial reputation attracted a growing number of scholars from disciplines other than political science, and the association’s scholarly interests diversified. As membership grew, the limited number of panels afforded APLS at APSA meetings made it difficult for the association to accommodate the scholarly interests of its growing membership. Moreover, as APLS became increasingly interdisciplinary and diverse, co-membership in APSA became problematic. In 1985, APLS and PLS became independent, freestanding scholarly institutions.
In 1991, Gary R. Johnson (Lake Superior State University
) was elected executive director of APLS and editor of PLS. Under Johnson’s leadership the organization and its journal became more international and increasingly interdisciplinary. Over the years, other prominent speakers at APLS meetings have included James Q. Wilson, Matt Ridley, Arthur Caplan, Napolean Chagnon, Elinor Ostrom, Francis Fukuyama, Irenaeus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Rosina Bierbaum, Lionel Tiger, Richard Wrangham, John Orbell, Margo Wilson, Martin Daly, Gary Marcus, Patricia Gowaty, Walter Rosenbaum, and Owen Jones, among others.
In 2002, David Goetze (Utah State University
) was elected executive director of APLS and Robert H. Sprinkle (University of Maryland
) took over as editor of PLS. Despite institutional "growing pains," the stature of both APLS and PLS continued to grow. The financial stability of both the organization and the journal was enhanced when PLS became affiliated with BioOne
, a prominent not-for-profit journal aggregator, as an inaugural component of its second collection, BioOne.2, which is accessible online in subscribing libraries worldwide.
Today, David Goetze continues to serve as executive director of APLS. In 2008, Erik Bucy (Indiana University
) took over as editor of PLS and a new members of the executive council were elected. Although, the APLS remains committed to its original evolutionary mandate, its interdisciplinary focus has led to an expansion of that mandate to include broad-based research on political behavior, public policy, and ethics. Since 1985, research panels, roundtable discussions, and plenary and keynote lectures at APLS meetings have become more interdisciplinary and diverse. Politics and the Life Sciences has experienced a similar evolutionary curve. Over the years, APLS has maintained its collegial atmosphere while accommodating a wide range of interdisciplinary research topics including: warfare, terrorism, bioterrorism, health care, stem cell research, cloning, life-extension, environmentalism, research ethics, bioethics, nanotechnology, and evolutionary ethics.
Today the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences recognizes the immense social and political implications wrought by revolutionary changes in biology. Recent developments in genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and evolutionary theory will inevitably have a huge impact on government decisions as well as the methods of political analysis. Today public policy decisions that relate to the "war on terrorism," health care policy, and environmental policy require input from the life sciences. Ignoring these sciences for ideological reasons will put our students at risk of not knowing how to deal with crucial questions that they will confront in their private lives. For future generations, the Socratic injunction to "know thyself" will imply input from the life sciences.
APLS welcomes all those interested in exploring the intersection between politics and the life sciences; especially in the areas of: political behavior, public policy, and ethics. The APLS welcomes not only those who hope to further advance research and teaching in these vital new areas, but also those engaged in public policy.
Biopolitics
The term "biopolitics" or "biopolitical" can refer to several different yet often compatible concepts.-Definitions:# In the work of Michel Foucault, the style of government that regulates populations through "biopower" .# In the works of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, anti-capitalist insurrection...
as a subfield of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. APLS owns and publishes an academic peer-reviewed journal, called Politics and the Life Sciences
Politics and the Life Sciences
Politics and the Life Sciences is a peer-reviewed academic journal that was first published in July 1982 with Thomas Wiegele as the editor. It is published by the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, currently edited by Erik P. Bucy....
(PLS), semi-annually in March and September. The journal is edited at Indiana University at Bloomington.
History
The history of The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences as a "learned societyLearned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
" (or "scholarly association") has been shaped by both intellectual and political forces within academe. The intellectual content cultivated by the APLS was shaped in the 1960s and 1970s, as brain sciences, ethology, sociobiology reshaped orthodoxy in psychology, sociology, philosophy, and political science. By the 1980s, members of well-established scholarly associations founded new organizations devoted to assimilating evolutionary biology into their respective disciplines. As a result, exciting new interdisciplinary lines of inquiry, organizations, educational programs, and journals were created. As the older "disciplinary" institutions and newer "interdisciplinary" associations competed for scholarly prestige, membership, and financial resources, some of these newer scholarly associations survived by remaining affiliated with the older, well-established associations while others became independent, freestanding institutions.
In 1973, International Political Science Association
International Political Science Association
The International Political Science Association , founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949, is an international scholarly association. IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world...
(IPSA) became the first scholarly organization to recognize the discipline known as "biopolitics." Albert Somit founded IPSA’s Research Committee #12 (Biology and Politics), which continues to provide an international forum for cutting-edge research on the biological foundations of political behavior.
Beginning in 1980, amidst growing interest in biopolitics the United States, the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences was organized by Thomas Wiegele from Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
along with a coterie of likeminded "founders" including: Carol Barner-Barry, Lynton K. Caldwell, Peter Corning, James C. Davies, Samuel Hines, Fred Kort, Roger Masters, Steven Peterson, Glendon Schubert, James Schubert, Albert Somit, John Wahlke, and Meredith Watts. Its stated purpose was to "advance interest in and encourage scholarship about biopolitics." Realization of this goal entailed a two pronged approach: First, to "establish biopolitics as a recognized field within political science." And second, to "integrate biologically-based research methods into mainstream political science." In 1981, APLS became institutionalized as an organized section of the American Political Science Association
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
(APSA), and two years later the first issue of its journal Politics and the Life Sciences was published. The late Thomas C. Wiegele was the founding executive director of APLS and editor of PLS.
Other evolutionarily-based scholarly associations were also founded in the 1980s. In 1988, the Human Behavior and Evolution Society
Human Behavior and Evolution Society
The Human Behavior and Evolution Society, or HBES, is an interdisciplinary, international society of researchers, primarily from the social and biological sciences, who use modern evolutionary theory to help to discover human nature - including evolved emotional, cognitive and sexual adaptations...
(HBES) was founded, and nine years later the first edition of its journal Evolution and Human Behavior
Evolution and Human Behavior
Evolution and Human Behavior is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in which evolutionary perspectives are brought to bear on the study of human behavior. It is primarily a scientific journal, but articles from scholars in the humanities are also published...
was published. Even today, many APLS members are also associated with these and other likeminded groups of scholars, such as the International Society For Human Ethology (ISHE).
The first independent meeting of the APLS was held September 3-6, 1998 in Boston with Edward O. Wilson providing the keynote address. In 1999, the second meeting was held in Atlanta with Frans de Waal as keynote. Subsequent meetings were held in: Washington D.C; Atlanta; Charleston; Montreal, Chicago; Philadelphia; Bloomington, Indiana; and, Cincinnati.
Since its founding APLS has become increasingly international and even more interdisciplinary. Between 1981 and 1985, APLS’s interdisciplinary focus and its collegial reputation attracted a growing number of scholars from disciplines other than political science, and the association’s scholarly interests diversified. As membership grew, the limited number of panels afforded APLS at APSA meetings made it difficult for the association to accommodate the scholarly interests of its growing membership. Moreover, as APLS became increasingly interdisciplinary and diverse, co-membership in APSA became problematic. In 1985, APLS and PLS became independent, freestanding scholarly institutions.
In 1991, Gary R. Johnson (Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
) was elected executive director of APLS and editor of PLS. Under Johnson’s leadership the organization and its journal became more international and increasingly interdisciplinary. Over the years, other prominent speakers at APLS meetings have included James Q. Wilson, Matt Ridley, Arthur Caplan, Napolean Chagnon, Elinor Ostrom, Francis Fukuyama, Irenaeus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Rosina Bierbaum, Lionel Tiger, Richard Wrangham, John Orbell, Margo Wilson, Martin Daly, Gary Marcus, Patricia Gowaty, Walter Rosenbaum, and Owen Jones, among others.
In 2002, David Goetze (Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
) was elected executive director of APLS and Robert H. Sprinkle (University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
) took over as editor of PLS. Despite institutional "growing pains," the stature of both APLS and PLS continued to grow. The financial stability of both the organization and the journal was enhanced when PLS became affiliated with BioOne
BioOne
BioOne is an online, full-text database of 167 peer-reviewed scientific journals and books in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. Included publications are published by 126 scientific societies, museums, and independent presses...
, a prominent not-for-profit journal aggregator, as an inaugural component of its second collection, BioOne.2, which is accessible online in subscribing libraries worldwide.
Today, David Goetze continues to serve as executive director of APLS. In 2008, Erik Bucy (Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
) took over as editor of PLS and a new members of the executive council were elected. Although, the APLS remains committed to its original evolutionary mandate, its interdisciplinary focus has led to an expansion of that mandate to include broad-based research on political behavior, public policy, and ethics. Since 1985, research panels, roundtable discussions, and plenary and keynote lectures at APLS meetings have become more interdisciplinary and diverse. Politics and the Life Sciences has experienced a similar evolutionary curve. Over the years, APLS has maintained its collegial atmosphere while accommodating a wide range of interdisciplinary research topics including: warfare, terrorism, bioterrorism, health care, stem cell research, cloning, life-extension, environmentalism, research ethics, bioethics, nanotechnology, and evolutionary ethics.
Today the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences recognizes the immense social and political implications wrought by revolutionary changes in biology. Recent developments in genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and evolutionary theory will inevitably have a huge impact on government decisions as well as the methods of political analysis. Today public policy decisions that relate to the "war on terrorism," health care policy, and environmental policy require input from the life sciences. Ignoring these sciences for ideological reasons will put our students at risk of not knowing how to deal with crucial questions that they will confront in their private lives. For future generations, the Socratic injunction to "know thyself" will imply input from the life sciences.
APLS welcomes all those interested in exploring the intersection between politics and the life sciences; especially in the areas of: political behavior, public policy, and ethics. The APLS welcomes not only those who hope to further advance research and teaching in these vital new areas, but also those engaged in public policy.
Sources
- Caldwell, L.K. (1992). "Thomas Wiegele: Prominent Founder." Politics and the Life Sciences 11:95-96
- Johnson, Gary R. (1992) "Politics and the Life Science: A Journal, A Mission, A Vision." Politics and the Life Sciences 11:3-4
- Johnson, Gary R. (2001) "Politics and the Life Sciences: A Second Decade and a Continuing Mission." Politics and the Life Sciences 20: 109-118
- Somit A., Steven A. Peterson. (1998) "Biopolitics After Tree Decades: A Balance Sheet." British Journal of Political Science. 28: 555–571
- Somit, Albert and Steven A. Peterson (2001) "Darwinism, Dominance, and Democracy: A Reaffirmation" Politics and the Life Sciences 20 (2) (September 2001)
- Wahlke, John C., "Pre-Behaviorism in Political Science" , American Political Science ReviewAmerican Political Science ReviewThe American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
. vol. 73 (1979) pp. 9-31