University of Alberta

url of this page: http://goo.gl/r41kpz + visitor statistics

As a Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Biology, I am happy to work with new MA and PhD students. My recent and former graduate student include Esther Rosario (philosophy of biology, feminist philosophy, metaphysics), Taylor Murphy (homology of cognitive processes), and Sara Weaver (essentialism in philosophy of biology and feminist philosophy).

Though focused on the philosophy of biology, my research has highlighted connections to general philosophy of science notions (e.g., explanation, reduction, conceptual change, and natural kinds). A theme running through my work has been to emphasize the role of standards, aims, and values for scientific practice, including its diversity and change. I am an Associate Editor of the Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution and an Executive Editor of the Canadian Journal of Philosophy.

Chief Areas of Interest within Philosophy of Biology

• Evolutionary developmental biology (homology, novelty, evolvability, interdisciplinarity and explanatory integration)
• Molecular and developmental biology (gene concept, explanations of development)
• Systems biology (impact of mathematical modelling for philosophical views of mechanistic explanation)
• Science and values (including epistemic and social values)

Journal Articles

• 2015, “Social values influence the adequacy conditions of scientific theories: beyond inductive risk.” Canadian Journal of Philosophy 45: 326–356.
• 2013, “Systems biology and the integration of mechanistic explanation and mathematical explanation.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 44: 477–492.
• 2013, “Explanation in biology: reduction, pluralism, and explanatory aims.” Science & Education 22: 69–91.
• 2012, “Conceptualizing evolutionary novelty: moving beyond definitional debates” (with Alan C. Love). Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 318: 417–427.
• 2010, “Beyond reduction and pluralism: toward an epistemology of explanatory integration in biology.” Erkenntnis 73: 295–311.
• 2010, “The epistemic goal of a concept: accounting for the rationality of semantic change and variation.” Synthese 177: 19–40.
• 2009, “Natural kinds in evolution and systematics: metaphysical and epistemological considerations.” Acta Biotheoretica 57: 77–97.
• 2007, “Typology now: homology and developmental constraints explain evolvability.” Biology and Philosophy 22: 709–725.
• 2003, “Species pluralism does not imply species eliminativism.” Philosophy of Science 70: 1305–1316.
• 2003, “Homology in comparative, molecular, and evolutionary developmental biology: the radiation of a concept.” Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 299B: 9–17.

Other Papers and Articles

• 2015, “Evolutionary developmental biology and the limits of philosophical accounts of mechanistic explanation.” In: Explanation in Biology: An Enquiry into the Diversity of Explanatory Patterns in the Life Sciences. P.-A. Braillard and C. Malaterre (eds), Springer, pp. 135–173.
• 2015, “From developmental constraint to evolvability: how concepts figure in explanation and disciplinary identity.” In: Conceptual Change in Biology: Scientific and Philosophical Perspectives on Evolution and Development. A. C. Love (ed), Springer, pp. 305–325.
• 2013, “Intelligent design and the nature of science: philosophical and pedagogical points.” In: The Philosophy of Biology: A Companion for Educators. K. Kampourakis (ed), Springer, pp. 205–238.
• 2012, “Reductionism in biology” (with Alan C. Love). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2012 edition). http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/reduction-biology
• 2012, “The dynamics of scientific concepts: the relevance of epistemic aims and values.” In: Scientific Concepts and Investigative Practice. U. Feest and F. Steinle (eds), de Gruyter, pp. 75–103.
• 2011, “Philosophy of biology.” In: The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Science. S. French and J. Saatsi (eds), Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 246–267.

Special Issues Edited

• 2015, Science, Values and the ‘Death of Evidence’ in Canada. Symposium of the Canadian Journal of Philosophy (Volume 45, Issue 3, pp. 326–424). Edited by Ingo Brigandt.
• 2013, Integration in Biology: Philosophical Perspectives on the Dynamics of Interdisciplinarity. Special section of Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (Volume 44, Issue 4, Part A, pp. 461–571). Edited by Ingo Brigandt.
• 2012, Perspectives on Evolutionary Novelty and Evo-Devo. Special issue of the Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution (Volume 318, Issue 6). Edited by Ingo Brigandt.
• 2007, The Importance of Homology for Biology and Philosophy. Special issue of Biology and Philosophy (Volume 22, Number 5). Edited by Ingo Brigandt and Paul E. Griffiths.