Research Weeks: Determinism and Indeterminism. From Biology to Philosophy

Determinism and Indeterminism: From Biology to Philosophy

(August 4-8, 2014 – Universidad Austral)

 

 

The following activities took place throughout the week:

• Two plenary lectures open to the general public: 1) "Darwin's Beyond", Prof. Miguel de Asúa, National University of San Martín. 2) "The origin of life on Earth"Prof. Rafael Vicuña. Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
• A ten-hour seminar for university professors:Developmental biology and characterization of the living being: scientific exposition and open philosophical questionsProf. Francisco Güell, University of Navarra.
• A workshop for trained researchers who are currently working on the topic from the perspectives of science, philosophy, or theology.

 

Workshop

Day One: Philosophy of Science. Philosophy Questions Biology

1. Do physics and biology understand the notion of determinism in the same way? How does biological determinism relate to physicalism and reductionism?

Speakers:
Philosophy: Mariano Asla, Universidad Austral.
Biology: Valeria Cantó-Soler, Johns Hopkins University.

Bibliography:
ROSENBERG, A.;McSHEA, DW (2008) “Reductionism about biology”. In Philosophy of Biology. A contemporary introduction, New York: Routledge, pp. 96-126.
KELLER, EF (2010) “It is possible to reduce biological explanations to explanations in chemistry and/or Physics”. In Ayala, FJ; Arp, R. Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 19-31.
DUPRÉ J., “It is not possible to reduce biological explanations to explanations in chemistry and/or Physics”, Ibidem, pp. 32-47.
WOLFE, CT (2012) “Chance between holism and reductionism: tensions in the conceptualization of life”, Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 30, pp. 1-8.

 

2. Are evolutionary, systemic, and organizational explanations of biological complexity better suited to a deterministic or indeterministic view of biological phenomena? What are their epistemological assumptions? How do these assumptions affect the unity of biology?

Speakers:
Philosophy: Héctor Velázquez, Pan-American University
Biology: Guillermo Folguera, Conicet-University of Buenos Aires

Bibliography:
PERLMAN, M. (2009) “Changing the Mission of Theories of Teleology: Do's and Don't's for Thinking About Function”. InKROHS U.;KROES P.(eds.), Functions in Biological and Artificial Worlds: Comparative Philosophical Perspectives, Cambridge-MA: MIT Press, pp. 17-36.
BRIGANDT, I. (2010) “Beyond reduction and pluralism: Toward an epistemology of explanatory integration in biology”, understanding 73, pp. 295-311.
LOVE, AC (2010) “Rethinking the Structure of Evolutionary Theory for an Extended Synthesis”. InPIGLIUCCIM.;MÜLLER GB(eds.), Evolution. The extended Synthesis, Cambridge-MA: MIT Press, pp. 403-441

 

Second day: Philosophy of Biology. Biology asks Philosophy questions.

3. What is information in biology? How are biological information and determinism related? Is genetic determinism currently outdated? Do epigenetic factors leave room for indeterminacy?

Speakers:
Biology: Angela Suburo, Universidad Austral.
Philosophy: María Cerezo, University of Murcia.

Bibliography:
GODFREY-SMITH, P. (2007) “Information in biology”. In HULL, DL;RUSE, M. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 103-119.
WHEELER, M. (2007) “Traits, genes, and coding”. In MATTHEN M.; STEPHENS C. (eds.), Handbook of the Philosophy of Science. Philosophy of Biology, North-Holland: Elsevier, pp. 369-399.
MÜLLER, GB (2010) “Epigenetic Innovation”. In Evolution. The extended Syntheis, Cambridge-MA, MIT Press, pp. 307-332.

 

4. In what sense is biological complexity linked to an indeterministic framework? How can the unity of living beings and their relationships with the environment be understood from a systemic approach?

Speakers:

Biology: Marta Bertolaso, Università Campus Biomedical di Roma
Philosophy: Francisco Güell, University of Navarra.

Bibliography:
BECHTEL, W. (2011) “Mechanism and Biological Explanation”, Philosophy of Science, 78/4, pp. 533-557.
ARTIGA, M. (2011) “Re-Organizing Organizational Accounts of Function”, Applied Ontology6, pp. 105–124.
COFFMAN, JA (2011) “On causality in nonlinear complex systems: The developmentalist perspective.” In HOOKER C. (ed.).Handbook of the Philosophy of Science. Philosophy of Complex Systems, North-Holland: Elsevier, pp. 287-310.

 

Third day: Biology & Religion. Biology questions natural theology.

5. Does the emergence of life from inorganic matter require divine intervention?

Speakers:
Biology: Rafael Vicuña, Catholic University of Chile.
Philosophy: Rafael Martinez, Università della Santa Croce.

Bibliography:
DAVIES, P. “Teleology Without Teleology: Purpose through Emergent Complexity.” In RUSSELL, RJ; STOEGER WR; AYALA, FJ(eds.), Evolutionary and Molecular Biology: Scientific Perspectives in Divine Action, Vatican City: Vatican Observatory Publications, 1998, pp. 151-162.
LANE, N.; ALLEN JF; MARTIN, W. (2010) "How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life", BioEssays32, pp. 271-280.
WILKINS J., (2012) Could God create Darwinian Accidents? Zygon 47:1, pp. 30-42.

6. Can contingent evolution, which includes elements of chance, refer to a creator God? Can divine providence cause the random mutations proposed by the theory of evolution?

Speakers:
Biology: Jorge Aquino, Universidad Austral.
Philosophy: Ignacio Silva, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Bibliography:
RUSSELL, RJ (1998) “Special Providence and Genetic Mutation: A New Defense of Theistic Evolution.” In RUSSELL, RJ; STOEGER, W.R.; AYALA, FJ (eds.), Evolutionary and Molecular Biology: Scientific Perspectives in Divine Action, Vatican City: Vatican Observatory Publications, pp. 191-224.
BARBOUR, IG (2009) “Five Models of God and Evolution”. In Shults, FL; Murphy N.; Russell, R.J. (eds.) Philosophy, Science and Divine Action, Boston: Brill, pp. 17-51.