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145The organism in developmental systems theoryBiological Theory 5 (3): 216-222. 2010.In this paper, I address the question of what the Developmental Systems Theory (DST) aims at explaining. I distinguish two lines of thought in DST, one which deals specifically with development, and tries to explain the development of the individual organism, and the other which presents itself as a reconceptualization of evolution, and tries to explain the evolution of populations of developmental systems (organism-environment units). I emphasize that, despite the claiming of the contrary by DS…Read more
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47On the definition of a criterion of immunogenicityProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103 (47): 17858--17861. 2006.The main objective of immunology is to establish why and when an immune response occurs, that is, to determine a criterion of immunogenicity. According to the consensus view, the proper criterion of immunogenicity lies in the discrimination between self and nonself. Here we challenge this consensus by suggesting a simpler and more comprehensive criterion, the criterion of continuity. Moreover, we show that this criterion may be considered as an interpretation of the immune 'self'. We conclude th…Read more
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L'immunologie Et la Définition de l'Identité BiologiqueDissertation, Atelier National de Reproduction des Thèses. 2008.
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20Towards a Theory of Development (edited book)Oxford University Press UK. 2014.Is it possible to explain and predict the development of living things? What is development? Articulate answers to these seemingly innocuous questions are far from straightforward. To date, no systematic, targeted effort has been made to construct a unifying theory of development. This novel work offers a unique exploration of the foundations of ontogeny by asking how the development of living things should be understood. It explores the key concepts of developmental biology, asks whether genera…Read more
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85The Limits of the Self: Immunology and Biological IdentityOxford University Press. 2012.The Limits of the Self, will be essential reading for anyone interested in the definition of biological individuality and the understanding of the immune system.
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85Introduction: Reassessing Developmental Systems TheoryBiological Theory 5 (3): 199-201. 2010.The Developmental Systems Theory (DST) presented by its proponents as a challenging approach in biology is aimed at transforming the workings of the life sciences from both a theoretical and experimental point of view (see, in particular, Oyama [1985] 2000; Oyama et al. 2001). Even though some may have the impression that the enthusiasm surrounding DST has faded in very recent years, some of the key concepts, ideas, and visions of DST have in fact pervaded biology and philosophy of biology. It s…Read more
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Quand et pourquoi une réponse immunitaire est-elle déclenchée?Bulletin de la Société Française D’Immunologie 115 7--7. 2007.
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61Mutualistic viruses and the heteronomy of lifeStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 59 80-88. 2016.Though viruses have generally been characterized by their pathogenic and more generally harmful effects, many examples of mutualistic viruses exist. Here I explain how the idea of mutualistic viruses has been defended in recent virology, and I explore four important conceptual and practical consequences of this idea. I ask to what extent this research modifies the way scientists might search for new viruses, our notion of how the host immune system interacts with microbes, the development of new…Read more
Thomas Pradeu
CNRS & University Of Bordeaux
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CNRS & University Of BordeauxProfessor
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Biology |
General Philosophy of Science |
Science, Logic, and Mathematics |