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Edited volumes-Bachelard dans le mondeHistory and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 22 (3): 453. 2000.
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32De la croissance relative à l'allométrie (1918-1936)/From relative growth to allometry (1918-1936)Revue d'Histoire des Sciences 53 (3): 475-498. 2000.
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109The individuality of the species: A Darwinian theory? — From Buffon to Ghiselin, and back to Darwin (review)Biology and Philosophy 11 (2): 215-244. 1996.Since the 1970s, there has been a tremendous amount of literature on Ghiselin's proposal that species are individuals. After recalling the origins and stakes of this thesis in contemporary evolutionary theory, I show that it can also be found in the writings of the French naturalist Buffon in the 18th Century. Although Buffon did not have the conception that one species could be derived from another, there is an interesting similarity between the modern argument and that of Buffon regarding the …Read more
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97Chance, Explanation, and Causation in Evolutionary TheoryHistory and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 27 (3/4). 2005.Chance comes into plays at many levels of the explanation of the evolutionary process; but the unity of sense of this category is problematic. The purpose of this talk is to clarify the meaning of chance at various levels in evolutionary theory: mutations, genetic drift, genetic revolutions, ecosystems, macroevolution. Three main concepts of chance are found at these various levels: luck (popular concept), randomness (probabilistic concept), and contingency relative to a given theoretical system…Read more
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31On the Uses of the Category of Style in the History of SciencePhilosophy and Rhetoric 32 (3). 1999.
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4L'épistémologie française, 1830-1970 (edited book)Presses universitaires de France. 2006.Présentation de la spécificité de l'épistémologie en France, entre philosophie de la connaissance et philosophie des sciences, à travers un panorama de son histoire depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, de ses grands courants et de ses grandes figures : A. Comte, A. Cournot, C. Bernard, G. Bachelard, H. Poincaré, etc.
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Darwinism's Struggle for Survival: Heredity and the Hypothesis of Natural SelectionMind 110 (437): 204-207. 2001.
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11Raisonnement fonctionnel et niveaux d'intégration en biologieIn Jean Gayon & Armand de Ricqlès (eds.), Les fonctions: des organismes aux artefacts, Presses Universitaires De France. pp. 125--138. 2010.
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14Direction de revue : Comptes rendus Biologies, vol. 333, n°2, 2010.
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Le paradigme de la filiationRevue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 187 (2): 250-250. 1997.
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2210 From Darwin to today in evolutionary biologyIn J. Hodges & Gregory Radick (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Darwin, Cambridge University Press. pp. 240. 2003.
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22Does oxygen have a function, or where should the regress of functional ascriptions stop in biology?In Philippe Huneman (ed.), Functions: Selection and Mechanisms, Springer. pp. 67--79. 2013.
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25The Role of the Vilmorin Company in the Promotion and Diffusion of the Experimental Science of Heredity in France, 1840–1920Journal of the History of Biology 31 (2). 1998.
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146Cultural evolution: A general appraisalLudus Vitalis 13 (23): 139-150. 2005.The first objective of the paper is to propose a classification and characterize the major approaches to the modes of cultural evolution: (1) Research programs on the origins of the cultural capacity of the human species. (2) Description and explanation of cultural change with the help of concepts or models inspired by the schemes of population genetics. (3) Research on parallel evolution of genes and culture. (4) Narrow coupling between biological evolution and cultural evolution, or the “gene-…Read more
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31Philosophy and history of science in Sober: comments on Did Write the Origin Backwards?Philosophical Studies 172 (3): 803-811. 2015.Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards is Sober’s book that comes closest to history of science. Some reviews have expressed reservations about Sober’s inclination to subordinate historical accuracy to analytical clarity, and to contemporary discussions . My comments will be devoted to the kind of relationship that Sober entertains with history of science. I do not think that the author’s interest in history is superficial and instrumental.In the first section, I try to locate Sober’s book within…Read more
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22La biologie darwinienne de l'évolution est-elle 'reductionniste'?Revue Philosophique De Louvain 93 (1): 111-139. 1995.
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48The Concept of Individuality in Canguilhem's Philosophy of BiologyJournal of the History of Biology 31 (3). 1998.This paper does not intend to provide an exhaustive account of Canguilhem's thinking. It will focus on his philosophical approach to the biological sciences
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From relative growth to allometry (1918-1936)Revue d'Histoire des Sciences 53 (3-4): 475-498. 2000.
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Darwin's Struggle for Survival: Heredity and the Hypothesis of Natural SelectionJournal of the History of Biology 32 (2): 413-415. 1999.In Darwinism's Struggle for Survival Jean Gayon offers a philosophical interpretation of the history of theoretical Darwinism. He begins by examining the different forms taken by the hypothesis of natural selection in the nineteenth century and the major difficulties which it encountered, particularly with regard to its compatibility with the theory of heredity. He then shows how these difficulties were overcome during the seventy years which followed the publication of Darwin's Origin of Specie…Read more
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23Évolution et hasardLaval Théologique et Philosophique 61 (3): 527-537. 2005.Dans la théorie contemporaine de l’évolution, trois sens classiques de la notion de hasard interviennent : la notion ordinaire de chance, la notion probabiliste de l’aléatoire, et la notion épistémologique de contingence relativement à un système théorique. Ces trois notions suffisent à définir le statut du hasard aux principaux niveaux du processus évolutif où l’on invoque communément des effets fortuits : mutations, dérive génétique, révolutions génétiques, changements écologiques, macroévolut…Read more
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University of Paris 1 Panthéon-SorbonneDepartment for Teaching and Research in Philosophy (UFR10)Regular Faculty
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Biology |
20th Century Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Biology |
20th Century Philosophy |