 |
|
Biological Interest Group (BIG Seminar)
Meeting time: Friday mornings throughout the semester at 10:45.
Meeting place: Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science Conference Room, Heller Hall 737
The biological interest group (BIG) reads and discusses works of mutual interest in the history and philosophy of biology. We select readings for a variety of reasons: to keep up on the most exciting developments in the field, to help participants scrutinize literature relevant to their research projects (faculty or graduate student research), to provide feedback on works in progress being written by BIG participants (graduate students, faculty, and Center visitors), to revisit classic articles in the literature, and sometimes just to have fun discussing a topic related to biology.
Our meetings are informal and some participants need to arrive late or leave early because of scheduling conflicts. All faculty from the University of Minnesota and area colleges and universities and graduate students are welcome to attend whenever they would like (without invitation) and without giving advanced notice. Undergraduates are included by invitation. (If you know of an undergraduate who is well-suited and possibly interested, please contact Ken Waters so an invitation can be extended.)
Discussion topics for Spring 2008:
Topic 1: Laws in Biological Sciences (with Center visitor Michael Strevens)
January 18: Michael Strevens (manuscript) "Physically Contingent Laws and Counterfactual Support"
January 25: We will meet with Michael Strevens to discuss his views on laws in biological sciences
Topic 2: Evolutionary Psychology
February 1: Leda Cosmides & John Tooby, "Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer" online publication, hhttp://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html.
February 8: John Dupré, "The Evolutionary Psychology of Sex and Gender", chapter 3 of Human Nature and the Limits of Science, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001, pp. 44 - 69.
February 15: John Dupré, "The Charms and Consequences of Evolutionary Psychology", chapter 4 of Human Nature and the Limits of Science, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001, pp. 70 - 92.
February 22: Martie G. Haselton et al., "Ovulatory shifts in human female ornamentation: Near ovulation, women dress to impress", Hormones and Behavior 51 (2007) 40 - 45.
Topic 3: Chance and Contingency in Evolutionary Biology
February 29: Beatty, John (2006) "Replaying Life's Tape", Journal of Philosophy, Volume CIII, Number 7, pp. 336 - 62.
Topic 4: Downward Causation
March 7: Carl F. Craver and William Bechtel, “Downward Causation and Biological Mechanisms”, Biology and Philosophy 22 (2007) 547–563.
March 14: Spring Break
March 21: Spring Break
Topic 5: William Harvey's Epistemology
March 28: William Harvey and Descartes—Philosophical Perspectives (1)
J. A. Passmore “William Harvey and the Philosophy of Science”, The Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 36(2) (1958) 85–94.
Also: John P. McCaskey “Regula Socratis: The Rediscovery of Ancient Induction in Early Modern England”, PhD Thesis, Stanford University 2006 (excerpt) pp. 314–333.
April 4: William Harvey and Descartes—Philosophical Perspectives (2)
Geoffrey Gorham “Mind-Body Dualism and the Harvey–Descartes Controversy”, Journal of the History of Ideas, 55(2) (1994) 211–234.
April 11: William Harvey's Embryology
James G. Lennox “The Comparative Study of Animal Development: William Harvey’s Aristotelianism”, chapter 1 of The Problem of Animal Generation in Early Modern Philosophy Justin E. H. Smith (ed), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2006, pp. 21–46.
April 18: Jason Clark (manuscript) "Relations of Homology Between Basic and Higher-Cognitive Emotions: Steps Toward a Unified Theory of Emotion"
Topic 6: Alan's Big Adventure (prefaced by Ken introduction of Reichenbach's version of the distinction between the contexts of discovery and justification)
April 25: Alan C. Love et al. “Co-option and Dissociation in Larval Origins and Evolution: the Sea Urchin Larval Gut”, Evolution & Development, 10(1) (2008) 74–88.
May 2: Alan C. Love et al. “Co-option and Dissociation in Larval Origins and Evolution: the Sea Urchin Larval Gut”, Evolution & Development, 10(1) (2008) 74–88.
May 9: Michael Root "The Use of Race in Medicine as a Proxy for Genetic Differences", Philosophy of Science 70(5) (2003) 1173–1183.
For more information: contact Janet McKernan (mcps@umn.edu) or Ken Waters (ckwaters@umn.edu)
© 1995–2008 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
This page maintained by:
Janet McKernan
Created: January 25, 2008
Updated: March 11, 2008
