Nancy Leys Stepan is a historian of science known for her work on the intersection of race, gender, and scientific thought, particularly regarding how analogical and metaphorical reasoning shaped scientific practice. Her scholarship examines how concepts like race and gender were constructed through analogy in nineteenth and twentieth century science. She is a professor emerita at Columbia University and a leading figure in the history and philosophy of science.
Authored foundational analysis of race as a scientific construct in 'The Idea of Race in Science' (1982)
Developed influential account of analogy and metaphor in scientific reasoning, including connections to Aristotelian paradeigma
Examined eugenics movements in Latin America in 'The Hour of Eugenics' (1991)
Contributed to feminist philosophy of science through analysis of gender analogies in biological thought
Bridged history of science with postcolonial critique of Western scientific categories