Education
PhD, University of California, Irvine
Courses
- Philosophy 8: Philosophy of Science
Jessica Lauman-Lairson
LecturerMy research sits at the intersection of philosophy of science and epistemology, with a particular focus on analogical inference and model transfer. My current research develops a pluralistic, pragmatic account of analogical inference, arguing that while relevant similarity resists purely formal criteria, normativity can be preserved through context-sensitive tools that guide inference under uncertainty. I also examine how cognitive heuristics shape scientific reasoning, integrating findings from cognitive science with normative philosophical accounts. My work engages with case studies from archaeology, the life sciences, astrobiology, and physics.