University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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Philosophy of Biology and the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science
The Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science (MCPS) brings together faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars from various departments and programs who are interested in the history and philosophy of science. The main philosophy of biology interactions occur through the Biological Interest Group (BIG) which meets weekly to discuss recent papers in philosophy, history, or biology on topics of interest to the group, read works in progress by BIG participants and visitors, or revisit classic articles in the field. There is also a graduate student group, which currently meets to discuss individuality, organismality, modularity and levels of selection, but these topics will change as the interests of the participants change.
Philosophy Department Faculty
- Alan C. Love // website 1, 2, CV, PhilPapers
- Specialties: History and philosophy of evolutionary developmental biology, evolutionary theory, developmental biology, functional morphology, conceptual change, explanatory pluralism, reductionism, the nature of historical science, interdisciplinary epistemology, and the structure of scientific problems
- Willing to work with new students? Yes
- William C. Wimsatt (part-time appointment, Fall semesters) // website, PhilPapers
- Specialties: history and philosophy of biology, cultural evolution, evolutionary developmental biology, complex systems
- Willing to work with new students? Bill works with students through meetings, courses, and discussion groups but does not take on new students of his own.
Affiliate Faculty (MCPS Resident Fellows)
Affiliate faculty do not supervise philosophy students but interact and collaborate with students, as well as serve on committees
- Mark Borrello (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; History of Science, Technology, and Medicine) // website
- Specialties: history of biology, evolutionary theory, genetics and ecology, biology of behavior; biology and society
- Ruth Shaw (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Plant Biology) // website
- Specialities: evolutionary quantitative genetics; plant population biology; ongoing evolution in plants
- Michael Travisano (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; BioTechnology Institute) // website, lab group website
- Specialties: multicellularity, evolution of aging, adaptive radiation, historical contingency, cooperation and cheating, experimental evolution, evo devo, speciation
