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416L'explication en biologieIn F. Merlin & T. Hoquet (eds.), Précis de Philosophie de la biologie [Handbook Philosophy of Biology], Vuibert Press. pp. 143-155. 2014.
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221Biological PartsIn H. Burkhardt, J. Seibt & G. Imaguire (eds.), Handbook of Mereology, Philosophia Verlag Gmbh. pp. 97-100. 2017.
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68Explanation in the special science: The case of biology and history (edited book)Springer. 2014.Biology and history are often viewed as closely related disciplines, with biology informed by history, especially in its task of charting our evolutionary past. Maximizing the opportunities for cross-fertilization in these two fields requires an accurate reckoning of their commonalities and differences-precisely what this volume sets out to achieve. Specially commissioned essays by a team of recognized international researchers cover the full panoply of topics in these fields and include notable…Read more
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400Themen aus den LebenswissenschaftenIn Markus Andreas Schrenk (ed.), Handbuch Metaphysik (German), Metzler. 2017.
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62Explanation in Evo-DevoIn de la Rosa L. N. & Müller G. B. (eds.), Evolutionary Developmental Biology - A Reference Guide, Springer. 2021.Evo-devo is a multidisciplinary field that investigates the interplay between evolutionary and developmental processes and brings together different kinds of explanatory strategies. This chapter examines the structure of paradigmatic explanations in evo-devo (e.g., the explanation of the origin of an evolutionary novelty) and raises philosophical questions about explanation in evo-devo. Much research in evo-devo is concerned with studying the developmental mechanisms that constrain and facilitat…Read more
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561Is Simplicity an Adequate Criterion of Theory ChoiceIn N. Mößner, S. Schmoranzer & C. Weidemann (eds.), Richard Swinburne, Ontos. pp. 33-45. 2008.According to Richard Swinburne, the principle of simplicity is of great importance to theory choice scenarios and theoretical changes in the sciences. In particular, he holds that the theory choice criterion of fit with background evidence can be reduced to the criteria of simplicity and of yielding the data. We will, however, rebut this reduction thesis and show that three central aspects of theoretical change (confirming power of empirical data, reliability of experimental methods, and truth o…Read more
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54Reductive Explanation in the Biological SciencesSpringer. 2015.Back cover: This book develops a philosophical account that reveals the major characteristics that make an explanation in the life sciences reductive and distinguish them from non-reductive explanations. Understanding what reductive explanations are enables one to assess the conditions under which reductive explanations are adequate and thus enhances debates about explanatory reductionism. The account of reductive explanation presented in this book has three major characteristics. First, it emer…Read more
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1242Mechanisms and Laws: Clarifying the DebateIn H.-K. Chao, S.-T. Chen & R. Millstein (eds.), Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics., Springer. pp. 125-145. 2013.Leuridan (2011) questions whether mechanisms can really replace laws at the heart of our thinking about science. In doing so, he enters a long-standing discussion about the relationship between the mech-anistic structures evident in the theories of contemporary biology and the laws of nature privileged especially in traditional empiricist traditions of the philosophy of science (see e.g. Wimsatt 1974; Bechtel and Abrahamsen 2005; Bogen 2005; Darden 2006; Glennan 1996; MDC 2000; Schaffner 1993; T…Read more
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821Introduction: Points of Contact between Biology and HistoryIn Marie I. Kaiser, Oliver Scholz, Daniel Plenge & Andreas Hüttemann (eds.), Explanation in the special science: The case of biology and history, Springer. pp. 1-23. 2014.
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650The Components and Boundaries of MechanismsIn Stuart Glennan & Phyllis McKay Illari (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy, Routledge. 2017.Mechanisms are said to consist of two kinds of components, entities and activities. In the first half of this chapter, I examine what entities and activities are, how they relate to well-known ontological categories, such as processes or dispositions, and how entities and activities relate to each other (e.g., can one be reduced to the other or are they mutually dependent?). The second part of this chapter analyzes different criteria for individuating the components of mechanisms and discusses h…Read more
University of Cologne
PhD, 2012
Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
Areas of Specialization
Metaphilosophy |
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Biology |
General Philosophy of Science |
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
Epistemology |