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35The Organism in Developmental Systems TheoryBiological Theory 5 (3): 216-222. 2009.In this article, I address the question of what Developmental Systems Theory aims at explaining. I distinguish two lines of thought in DST, one that deals specifically with development and tries to explain the development of the individual organism, and the other that presents itself as a reconceptualization of evolution and tries to explain the evolution of populations of developmental systems. I emphasize that, despite the claim of the contrary by DST proponents, there are two very different d…Read more
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These aliens who live in us: from parasitism to genetic piracyCritique 64 (733-34): 496--509. 2008.
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Les incertitudes du soi et la question du bon modèle théorique en immunologieM/S: Médecine Sciences 21 (10): 872--875. 2005.
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1542What is an organism? An immunological answerHistory and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 32 (2-3): 247-267. 2010.The question “What is an organism?”, formerly considered as essential in biology, has now been increasingly replaced by a larger question, “What is a biological individual?”. On the grounds that i) individuation is theory-dependent, and ii) physiology does not offer a theory, biologists and philosophers of biology have claimed that it is the theory of evolution by natural selection which tells us what counts as a biological individual. Here I show that one physiological field, immunology, offers…Read more
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1298Galatea of the microbesThe Philosophers' Magazine 67 89-95. 2014.This paper shows that the identity of living things is a composite reality. It also suggests that the immune system constitutes a unifying process for the organism.
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Theories of development in biologyâproblems and perspectivesTowards a Theory of Development 1. forthcoming.
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123The many faces of biological individualityBiology and Philosophy 31 (6): 761-773. 2016.Biological individuality is a major topic of discussion in biology and philosophy of biology. Recently, several objections have been raised against traditional accounts of biological individuality, including the objections of monism, theory-centrism, ahistoricity, disciplinary isolationism, and the multiplication of conceptual uncertainties. In this introduction, I will examine the current philosophical landscape about biological individuality, and show how the contributions gathered in this spe…Read more
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24This volume is the best available tool to compare and appraise the different approaches of today’s biology and their conceptual frameworks, serving as a springboard for new research on a clarified conceptual basis. It is expected to constitute a key reference work for biologists and philosophers of biology, as well as for all scientists interested in understanding what is at stake in the present transformations of biological models and theories. The volume is distinguished by including, for the …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 |