•  229
    The Meaning of “Theory” in Biology
    with Kim Sterelny and Werner Callebaut
    Biological Theory 7 (4): 285-286. 2013.
    The articles in this issue reflect the results of the 25th Altenberg Workshop in Theoretical Biology on ‘‘The Meaning of ‘Theory’ in Biology’’ held at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Altenberg, Austria, 30 June–3 July, 2011.
  •  228
    Review - What Should I Believe? (review)
    Metapsychology 2009. 2009.
    Dorothy Rowe's book amounts to a spectacularly missed chance to make a significant contribution to the very important questions the author set out to address. The book promises to provide an answer to "why our beliefs about the nature of death and the purpose of life dominate our lives," but ends up being a bizarre hodgepodge of self-help psychology, uninformative case studies, and a large number of disconnected personal observations -- the whole thing peppered here and there with philosophical …Read more
  •  206
    Scientism and Pseudoscience: A Philosophical Commentary
    Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 12 (4): 569-575. 2015.
    The term “scientism” is used in a variety of ways with both negative and positive connotations. I suggest that some of these uses are inappropriate, as they aim simply at dismissing without argument an approach that a particular author does not like. However, there are legitimate negative uses of the term, which I explore by way of an analogy with the term “pseudoscience.” I discuss these issues by way of a recent specific example provided by a controversy in the field of bioethics concerning th…Read more
  •  187
    Evolution – the Extended Synthesis (edited book)
    with Gerd B. Muller
    MIT Press. 2010.
    In the six decades since the publication of Julian Huxley's Evolution: The Modern Synthesis, spectacular empirical advances in the biological sciences have been accompanied by equally significant developments within the core theoretical framework of the discipline. As a result, evolutionary theory today includes concepts and even entire new fields that were not part of the foundational structure of the Modern Synthesis. In this volume, sixteen leading evolutionary biologists and philosophers of …Read more
  •  101
    Why do irrational beliefs adopt the trappings of science, to become what is known as “pseudoscience”? Here, we develop and extend an epidemiological framework to map the factors that explain the form and the popularity of irrational beliefs in scientific garb. These factors include the exploitation of epistemic vigilance, the misunderstanding of the authority of science, the use of the honorific title of “science” as an explicit argument for belief, and the phenomenon of epistemic negligence. We…Read more
  •  100
    Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem
    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2023.
    Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem The demarcation problem in philosophy of science refers to the question of how to meaningfully and reliably separate science from pseudoscience. Both the terms “science” and “pseudoscience” are notoriously difficult to define precisely, except in terms of family resemblance. The demarcation problem has a long history, tracing back at the … Continue reading Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem →
  •  98
    If evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him. His Tales of the Rational defines an intellectual space as far removed as hardcore religious fundamentalism from mainstream thinking--but it may be coming closer as scientists and skeptics launch more aggressive attacks on pseudoscience and fuzzy thinking. Pigliucci, a rising star on the evolution-creationism debate circuit, pulls out all the stops in his work, not content merely to defend science agai…Read more
  •  91
    Phenotypic Integration: Studying the Ecology and Evolution of Complex Phenotypes (edited book)
    with Katherine A. Preston
    Oxford University Press. 2004.
    A new voice in the nature-nurture debate can be heard at the interface between evolution and development. Phenotypic integration is a major growth area in research.
  •  77
    Making Sense of Evolution explores contemporary evolutionary biology, focusing on the elements of theories—selection, adaptation, and species—that are complex and open to multiple possible interpretations, many of which are incompatible with one another and with other accepted practices in the discipline. Particular experimental methods, for example, may demand one understanding of “selection,” while the application of the same concept to another area of evolutionary biology could necessitate a …Read more
  •  68
    Why do irrational beliefs adopt the trappings of science, to become what is known as “pseudoscience”? Here, we develop and extend an epidemiological framework to map the factors that explain the form and the popularity of irrational beliefs in scientific garb. These factors include the exploitation of epistemic vigilance, the misunderstanding of the authority of science, the use of the honorific title of “science” as an explicit argument for belief, and the phenomenon of epistemic negligence. We…Read more
  •  51
  •  43
    Would We Be Better Off Without Academic Philosophy?
    The Philosophers' Magazine 80 94-95. 2018.
  •  41
    Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason (review)
    The Philosophers' Magazine 88 113-115. 2020.
  •  37
    Dangerous Habits: Examining the Philosophical Baggage of Biological Research
    Dissertation, The University of Tennessee. 2003.
    Science is about conceptualizing the natural world in a way that can be understood by human beings while at the same time reflecting as much as possible what we can empirically infer about how the world actually is. Among the crucial tools that allow scientists to formulate hypotheses and to contribute to a progressive understanding of nature are the use of imagery and metaphors, on the one hand, and the ability to assume certain starting points on which to build new avenues of inquiry on the ot…Read more
  •  31
    It is no secret that we inhabit an increasingly irrational world, plagued by rampant pseudoscience, science denialism, post-truths and fake news. Or perhaps, human nature being what it is, we have always lived in such a world and we are now simply more keenly aware of it because of easy and widespread access to social media. Moreover, the stakes are higher, as pseudoscience in the form of the anti-vax movement imperils the lives of many, while climate change denialism literally risks a collapse …Read more
  •  25
    The return of demarcation
    The Philosophers' Magazine 72 91-92. 2016.
  •  23
    Creationism vs. scientism
    Free Inquiry 23 (3): 32. 2003.
  •  22
    Philosophy of Science Panel Discussion
    with Leonard Finkelman, Jonathan Kaplan, and Evan Tracy
    Questions traditionally answered by philosophers are now being tackled by prominent scientists. As the cultural influence of science and technology continues to grow, what room, if any, is left for philosophy? Three philosophers—Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, and Dr. Leonard Finkelman —explore issues related to the philosophy of science, including how philosophy has contributed to scientific progress, why philosophy continues to be important to science, and why there remain question…Read more
  •  21
  •  20
    Hang the DJ and Digital Dating
    In David Kyle Johnson (ed.), Black Mirror and Philosophy, Wiley. 2019.
    In Hang The DJ, Amy and Frank meet via an online dating system that promises that if you stick with it, it will continue gathering information until it finds your soul mate, or “ultimate compatible other,” trumpeting a 99.8% success rate. In this chapter we explore the broad issue of digital relationships from the point of view of two particular philosophies of life: Stoicism and existentialism. The episode raises a multiplicity of philosophical issues concerning the choices we make about romant…Read more
  •  20
    How to live a good life: a guide to choosing your personal philosophy (edited book)
    Vintage Books/Penguin Random House LLC. 2020.
    A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life.
  •  20
    On debating
    Free Inquiry 23 (4): 17. 2003.
  •  18
    Wisdom: What Is It?
    The Philosophers' Magazine 87 84-89. 2019.
  •  18
    Presenting philosophy – What science has taught me about it
    Human Affairs 31 (4): 439-447. 2021.
    Presenting philosophy properly, in a way that is clear and accessible to our target audience, is of paramount importance. In this essay I draw on my dual experience as a scientist and a philosopher to arrive at some general recommendations for good practice. Specifically, I discuss why presentation matters, whether a bad presentation style is a valid criticism of a philosopher’s work, how we may adapt our message to the variety of communication media available today, and what, if any, is the rel…Read more
  •  16
    No free lunch for intelligent design
    Free Inquiry 23 (2): 14. 2003.
  •  15
    What are we to make of the concept of race?: Thoughts of a philosopher–scientist
    Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 44 (3): 272-277. 2013.
    Discussions about the biological bases of the concept of race in the human species seem to be never ending. One of the latest rounds is represented by a paper by Neven Sesardic, which attempts to build a strong scientific case for the existence of human races, based on genetic, morphometric and behavioral characteristics, as well as on a thorough critique of opposing positions. In this paper I show that Sesardic’s critique falls far short of the goal, and that his positive case is exceedingly th…Read more
  •  14
    Sewall Wright’s adaptive landscapes: 1932 vs. 1988
    Biology and Philosophy 23 (5): 591-603. 2008.
    Sewall Wright introduced the metaphor of evolution on “adaptive landscapes” in a pair of papers published in 1931 and 1932. The metaphor has been one of the most influential in modern evolutionary biology, although recent theoretical advancements show that it is deeply flawed and may have actually created research questions that are not, in fact, fecund. In this paper I examine in detail what Wright actually said in the 1932 paper, as well as what he thought of the matter at the very end of his …Read more