CONTRIBUTED PAPERS

2022
Moreover J will demonstrate that in the conteoct ~ T SpS})
, not
knowledge about the connection between the data and the Ph On1Ycaq
. - as has been arguedeno!b.
required for data-to-p henomena reasonmg b enon..sa1
- but in addition causal knowledge about the connection bet Y!vla,.isi:~
' ' Ween th "lit
and noise (i ·e., data due to other. causal factors than the Pheno:rne edat a
Based on the case study, I will cone1ude that phenomena ll.on.).
the result of input from nature in the form of data, and partiallyare Partiaih,
. const
using both causal knowledge about t he connection between th ructed
J

data and the phenomenon of interest and about the connect· e Produced
ion bet
the data and noise. Ween.
An important problem that has been discussed in the debat
nomena and data is the underdetermination of phenomena by on Phe-
requiring causal knowledge about the connection of the produceda~a. By
the phenomenon of interest and to noise in data-to-phenomena re at~ to
the proposed account brings us closer to solving this problem t:oning,
discussed accounts of Bogen & Woodward and Massimi. an the
REFEREN CES
Bogen & Woodward (1988). The Philosophical Review 97(3): 3Q3_
35 2
Massimi (2011). Synthese 182: 101-116. Woodward (2000). Philosoph ·
of Science 67: S163-S179. Y

Where the Wild Things are Classified: feminist values and

classification practices in cases of human-wildlife conflict and
ecological crises
Denise Hossom
University of California, Davis, United States
drhossom©ucdavis.edu

A folk conception of the "wild" existed long before the biological sciences
had means to quantify, qualify, or choose it as the focus of environmen-
tal conservation efforts. Yet classification practices for "wild" nonhuman
animals are becoming increasingly complex. Movement of "wild" nonhu-
man animals across the planet under diverse scientific and social contexts
and aims, alongside shifting classification practices, can shape how par-
ticular cases of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and ecological crises (EC)
are understood. My larger project examines classification of nonhuman
animals in the biological sciences under four interrelated sets of concept
categories ; 1) wild - domestic, 2) feral - tame, 3) free-roaming - captive,
4) vermin/varmint/pest - livestock/pet.

174
 CONTRIBUTED PAPERS

. paper gives an account of two felid conflicts; endangered 'wild"

'flll5 rd (Panthera uncia) HWC in Nepal and "feral" cats in the US
pow 1e0Pa land, and Australia• (Fehs. catus) as EC.
' Snow leopards in Nepal'
5
New zear aWC through surplus killing of domestic livestock; herders may
e!lcolJJlt:o 100 animals in a depredation event by a single cat, which is
Jase 40 et with retaliatory killing of snow leopards. Domestic livestock in
often rninous regions are a main economic resource to impoverished rural
i11ou11ta ities, and livestock compete for grazing with wild prey species for
cor11rnun . a "w1·1d ~;rsus domestic' framing. Contrast_m_g
leopards, pro11:ot1~g . 1y
s11°'\, cat EC conflicts mvolve the domestic" cat (F. catus), and exh1b1t a
''fera nge of classification practices, and relations between both humans,
w1•der ras and their broader ecological communities.
catu , . .
F· A.s aWC and EC co~fl1c~s mclude both social and scientific stakehold-
I examine how conflict discourses appeal to constitutive and contextual
e:, s (Longino 1990) to shape the framing of particular conflicts. I report
v ~:w narratives of "the wild", as a relational concept, capture which hu-
on stakeholders (social or scientific) are given authority to speak on behalf
11
~awhich nonhuman animals. I argue that framing "the wild" with appeal
0 solely traditional scientific values, increases the likelihood that power

tolations of domination appear in stakeholder group dynamics. Refram-

:eg conflict with appeals to feminist values, such as "diffusion of power"
il1 d "mutuality of interaction" (Longino 1995, 1996) allows novel interests
: emerge from both scientific and social stakeholder groups. The role of
'scientist as advocate' (Odenbaugh 2003) comes into question, and raises
issues related to the social constitution of practicing scientific communities
engaged in HWC /EC conflicts.
An implication of framing cat conflicts through diffusion of power and
mutuality of interaction is that it compels a stronger inclusion of indigenous
perspectives within the scientific community in environmental and ecolog-
ical sciences dealing with HWC and EC (Whyte 2018, Salmon 2000, Reo
& Ogden 2018). Diffusion of power critically enforces Contextual Empiri-
cism's criterion of equality of intellectual authority (Longino 1995, 384-389)
in areas of the biological sciences that interact with marginalized communi-
ties concerned with histories of biotic colonialism (Lean 2021) and ecological
imperialism (Guha 1989). Additionally, these feminist values can support
the application of standpoint theory to include indigenous perspectives as
a matter of epistemic importance to understanding HWC and EC.

175