Robert Pennock

pennock5@msu.edu
Holmes W-34

University Distinguished Professor

Philosophy

Biography

Robert T. Pennock studies epistemic and ethical values in science and their connection to scientific methodology and practice. His empirical research involves questions at the intersection of evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and the scientific character, such as the evolution of altruism, complexity, and intelligence. He is a co-founder of BEACON, an NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action and directs the Vocational Virtues Project, which develops a virtue-based approach to understanding vocational excellence and integrity. Pennock is a Fellow and past President of Sigma Xi, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fulbright Fellow, and a National Associate of the National Academies of Science. The author of over a hundred articles in philosophy, science, and education, he writes a regular column on science and engineering values for American Scientist.

Works

• An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Character of Science. 2019. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

• Miller, J., Laspra, B., Polino, C., Branch, G., Ackerman, M., Pennock, RT. “The development of attitudes toward science and technology: a longitudinal analysis of Generation X.” Science and Public Policy. 2025, 52(1):16-31.

• Pennock, RT & Miller, JD. “Studying Scientific Virtues: Bridging Philosophy and Social Science.” In Stapleford, Thomas A. (ed.) Science, Technology and Virtues: Contemporary Perspectives. Oxford University Press. 2021, pp. 58-74.

• Pennock, RT. “Beyond Research Ethics: How scientific virtue theory reframes and extends responsible conduct of research.” In Carr, David (ed.) Cultivating Moral Character and Virtue in Professional Practices. Routledge Press. (2018, pp. 166-177).

• Pennock, RT, O’Rourke, M. “Developing a Scientific Virtue-Based Approach to Science Ethics Training.” Science & Engineering Ethics 2017, 23(1):243-262,

• Pennock, RT. “Negotiating Boundaries in the Definition of Life: Wittgensteinian and Darwinian Insights on Resolving Conceptual Border Conflicts.” Synthese 2012, 85(1): 5-20.

• Clune, J., Goldsby, H., Ofria, C., Pennock, RT. “Selective pressures for accurate altruism targeting: Evidence from digital evolution for difficult-to-test aspects of inclusive fitness theory.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 2010, 278:666-674.

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