Philosophy of science group meetings

Upcoming meetings

Tuesdays 12–1pm, unless otherwise noted

  1. PhilSci reading group: Durand & Ramsey (2019), “The nature of programmed cell death” (Emily)
  2. lab meeting
  3. PhilSci reading group: TBD (Ana)
  4. lab meeting (Emily away at PSA)
  5. PhilSci reading group: TBD
  6. no meeting (ANZAP conference)
  7. lab meeting (last one of 2026!)
  8. lab meeting (first one of 2027!)
  9. PhilSci reading group: TBD
  10. lab meeting
  11. PhilSci reading group: TBD
  12. lab meeting

Past reading group archives

2026

  1. Maureen O’Malley’s chapter draft from her book Philosophical issues in microbiome research
  2. Joyce Havstad’s draft chapter from her book The Selection of Scientific Methods
  3. Medawar, “Is the scientific paper a fraud?” + Howitt & Wilson, “Revisiting ‘Is the scientific paper a fraud?’”
  4. Smart, “The metaphysics of disease”
  5. Glackin et al., “Out of our heads: addiction and psychiatric externalism”
  6. Bich & Menatti: “Homeostasis and health: from balance to change”
  7. Dupré & Nicholson, “A manifesto for a processual philosophy of biology”
  8. Brett Calcott giving a talk: “DNA encodes a programme for cellular cognition”
  9. Bertolaso and Dupré, “A processual perspective on cancer”
  10. Murphy, “Conceptual foundations of biological psychiatry”
  11. William Pearman’s manuscript for feedback, “Host-microbiome research requires clearly articulated null hypotheses”
  12. Athéa & Montagnac, “Of what is ‘cellular memory’ the name? Perspectives across the life sciences”
  13. Gabbi Courtenay work in progress discussion
  14. Žukauskaitė, “Sympoiesis, Autopoiesis, and Immunity: How to Coexist with Nonhuman Others?”
  15. Barandiaran, “Organizational accounts of malfunction: The dual-order approach and the normative field alternative”
  16. Bocchi, “Biodiversity skepticism and measurement practices”
  17. Barandiaran & Almendros, “Transforming agency: on the mode of existence of large language models”

2025

  1. Maureen O’Malley’s draft chapter from Philosophical issues in microbiome research: Chapter 3: Natural microbiomes and human ‘nature’
  2. Rose Novick, “The neutral theory of conceptual complexity”
  3. Dan McShea visit and teleology discussion.
  4. Derek Skillings’ draft paper on holobionts.
  5. Karen Neander, “Functions as selected effects: The conceptual analyst’s defense”
  6. Arno Wouters, “Four notions of biological function”
  7. James Russell’s draft paper for feedback, “Invasive species eradication standards”
  8. David Kelley’s draft paper for feedback, “Philosophy Moves and Mini-Moves”
  9. Mark Bedau visit.
  10. John Matthewson & Paul Griffiths, “Biological criteria of disease: Four ways of going wrong”
  11. Varga, “Mental health promotion and the positive concept of health: Navigating dilemmas” (Natalie)
  12. Gluckman et al., “The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) Concept: Past, Present, and Future” (Sam)
  13. Vidal, “What is a worldview?” (Ana)
  14. John Matthewson & Simon Keller’s draft paper on health & disease concepts (Zoom)
  15. Plutynski, “How is cancer complex?” (Hiva)
  16. Russell Meyer’s draft paper “It’s Cognition, With Style: Rethinking the Biology of Intelligence”
  17. Chapter 5 of Plutynski Explaining cancer: finding order in disorder (Hiva)
  18. PhilSci Reading Group: draft paper by Pietro Allegretti (Waikato)
  19. Intro and Chapter 1 of Roughgarden, Evolution’s Rainbow

2024

  1. Griffin et al., “Compassionate Conservation Clashes With Conservation Biology: Should Empathy, Compassion, and Deontological Moral Principles Drive Conservation Practice?”
  2. Whyte, “Against crisis epistemology”
  3. Chalmers, “What is conceptual engineering and what should it be?”
  4. Sanches de Oliveira et al., “Scientific practice as ecological-enactive co-construction”
  5. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 1
  6. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 2
  7. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 3
  8. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 4
  9. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 5
  10. Massimi, Perspectival Realism chapter 11
  11. Giere, “Modest evolutionary naturalism”
  12. Neil Levy, “No trespassing! Abandoning the novice/expert problem”
  13. Caleb Hazelwood (manuscript for feedback), “Beanbag holobionts”
  14. James Mansell presenting PhD thesis overview
  15. Samuel Johnson et al., “Conviction Narrative Theory: A theory of choice under radical uncertainty”

2023

  1. Cline, “Do Species Really Matter? The Case of ‘The’ Galápagos Giant Tortoise”
  2. Ally’s draft paper “Landing among the stars: failure response planning for Predator Free 2050”
  3. Brett’s practice talk for Major Transitions in the Evolution of Cognition workshop
  4. Chapter 1 of Joyce Havstad’s book draft manuscript
  5. Intemann, “Who needs consensus anyway? Addressing manufactured doubt and increasing public trust in climate science”
  6. Kovaka, “Climate change denial and beliefs about science”
  7. Nathan, “Pluralism is the answer! What is the question?”
  8. Mayden, “Consilience and a hierarchy of species concepts: Advances toward closure on the species puzzle”
  9. Bikyu’s draft paper
  10. Aja Watkins’ draft paper
  11. Kiper et al., “Experimental philosophy”
  12. David’s draft paper
  13. Fleisher, “Rational endorsement”
  14. Pavlinov, excerpts from The species problem: a conceptual history
  15. Doolittle, “Speciation without species”
  16. Odenbaugh, “On the very idea of an ecosystem”
  17. Levy, “Too humble for words”
  18. Gabbi’s PhD writing sample draft
  19. Wilholt, “Epistemic trust in science”
  20. Bright, “On fraud”
  21. Matthew Slater visiting

2022

  1. Reydon, “On radical solutions in the philosophy of biology: What does ‘individuals thinking’ actually solve?”
  2. David’s draft paper “Philosophical moves”
  3. Bulbulia, “The cognitive and evolutionary psychology of religion”
  4. Antony, “Quine as Feminist: The Radical Import of Naturalized Epistemology”
  5. Feyaerts & Vanheule, “The logic of appearance: Dennett, phenomenology and psychoanalysis”
  6. Michaelian, “Is external memory memory? Biological memory and extended mind”
  7. Vazquez, “The gay gene(s)? Rethinking the concept of sexual orientation in the context of science”
  8. Nguyen, “Echo chambers and epistemic bubbles”
  9. Curry, “Scientific psychology for folk craft: The case of IQ”
  10. Mitchell, “Integrative pluralism”
  11. Deaven, “Relative significance controversies in evolutionary biology”