- Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Biology, Metaphysics of Science, Philosophical Biology, Conservation Biology, Biodiversity, and 14 moreHistory of Science, Philosophy of Science, Biodiversity Conservation, Biodiversity Research, Species Problems, Natural Kinds, Metaphysics of Natural Kinds, Social Construction of Reality, Social Constructionism/ Constructivism, Ontology, Monster Theory, Metaphysics, Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, and History and Philosophy of Biologyedit
The concept of nature in Western thought has been informed by the assumption of a categorical distinction between natural and artificial entities, which goes back to John Stuart Mill or even Aristotle. Such a way of articulating the... more
The concept of nature in Western thought has been informed by the assumption of a categorical distinction between natural and artificial entities, which goes back to John Stuart Mill or even Aristotle. Such a way of articulating the natural/artificial distinction has proven unfit for conservation purposes mainly because of the extent and the pervasiveness of human activities that would leave no nature left to be conserved, and alternative views have been advanced. In this contribution, after arguing for the importance of the concept of naturalness as a guide for conservation, I will try to provide an account of the natural/artificial distinction suited to contemporary conservation framing. Focusing on a particular kind of objects that I suggest to name “environmental objects”, I propose and defend the view of “naturalness as independence” according to which the more or less an environmental object's identity conditions and survival depend on human intervention, the more or less that object is artificial or natural, respectively. According to this view, conserving environmental objects will equate to maintaining or improving their naturalness (vis-à-vis their artefactualness) or even originating artificial objects that may become new natural objects. This view has the advantage, on the one hand, of providing a rationale for a distinction which is not only part of how people think, but also pervasive in conservation practices and policies and, on the other hand, of accounting for the global pervasiveness of human intervention in the so-called natural world.
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In recent years, we have assisted to an impressive effort to identify and catalogue biodiversity at the microbial level across a wide range of environments, human bodies included (e.g., skin, oral cavity, intestines). This effort,... more
In recent years, we have assisted to an impressive effort to identify and catalogue biodiversity at the microbial level across a wide range of environments, human bodies included (e.g., skin, oral cavity, intestines). This effort, fostered by the decreasing cost of DNA sequencing, highlighted not only the vast diversity at the microbial level but also the importance of cells' social interactions, potentially leading to the emergence of novel diversity. In this contribution, we shall argue that entities other than species, and in particular multispecies biofilms, might play a crucial-and still underestimated-role in increasing biodiversity as well as in conserving it. In particular, after having discussed how microbial diversity impacts ecosystems (Sect. 9.1), we argue (Sect. 9.2) that multispecies biofilms may increase biodiversity at both the genetic and phenotypic level. In Sect. 9.3 we discuss the possibility that multispecies biofilms, both heterotrophic and autotrophic, are evolutionary individuals, i.e. units of selection. In the conclusion, we highlight a major limitation of the traditional species-based approach to biodiversity origination and conservation.
Keywords Microbial diversity · Biofilms · Biological individuality
Keywords Microbial diversity · Biofilms · Biological individuality
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After having reconstructed a minimal biological characterisation of species, we endorse an “empirical approach” based on the idea that it is the peculiar evolution- ary history of the species at issue—its peculiar origination process, its... more
After having reconstructed a minimal biological characterisation of species, we endorse an “empirical approach” based on the idea that it is the peculiar evolution- ary history of the species at issue—its peculiar origination process, its peculiar metapopulation structure and the peculiar mixture and strength of homeostatic pro- cesses vis à vis heterostatic ones—that determines species’ identity at a time and through time. We then explore the consequences of the acceptance of the empirical approach in settling the individuals versus kinds dispute. In particular, while con- ceptual arguments have been proposed to show that species can be equally treated as individuals and kinds because mereology’s and set-theory’s languages are inter- translatable, we advance instead a causal argument to sustain the claim that each species is both a kind (i.e., a class whose members share some properties included in a cluster) and an individual (i.e., a whole made of parts).
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O que é a biodiversidade? Quanto sabemos a seu respeito? Podemos quantificar a biodiversidade perdi- da? Como se define a biodiversidade? Por mais simples que pareçam estas questões, no presente, não existe um consenso a respeito do... more
O que é a biodiversidade? Quanto sabemos a seu respeito? Podemos quantificar a biodiversidade perdi- da? Como se define a biodiversidade? Por mais simples que pareçam estas questões, no presente, não existe um consenso a respeito do entendimento do termo «biodiversidade», nem a respeito da quantificação da biodiversidade ou formas de medi-la. No presente capitulo vamos explorar estas questões básicas que são, de certa forma, preliminares a uma adequada conservação da biodiversidade.
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Decostruzione e linee per una ricostruzione I quasi-concetti sono stati definiti come «quelle costruzioni mentali ibri-de che il gioco politico ci propone sempre più spesso, al tempo stesso per rac-cogliere dei possibili consensi... more
Decostruzione e linee per una ricostruzione I quasi-concetti sono stati definiti come «quelle costruzioni mentali ibri-de che il gioco politico ci propone sempre più spesso, al tempo stesso per rac-cogliere dei possibili consensi relativamente a una certa lettura della realtà e per forgiarli» . In questo contributo sosterrò che quello di biodiversità è un quasi-concetto e procederò alla sua decostruzione. La decostruzione servirà, nella conclusione, per suggerire il punto di partenza e le linee di una possibile ricostruzione.
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Neste ensaio tomar-se-á em consideração alguns tipos de monstros biológicos, partindo da ideia clássica de que os monstros são fenómenos naturais cuja função seria avisar os seres humanos. A finalidade é ilustrar de que modo... more
Neste ensaio tomar-se-á em consideração alguns tipos de monstros biológicos, partindo da ideia clássica de que os monstros são fenómenos naturais cuja função seria avisar os seres humanos. A finalidade é ilustrar de que modo tais entes nos levam a discutir o conceito de espécie e o de indivíduo típicos da nossa relação diária com o mundo – pode- ríamos dizer, da nossa «metafísica de senso comum» –, proporcionando algumas ideias para reflectirmos sobre a escolha entre realismo e irrealismo relativamente à presença, ou ausência, de uma estrutura da realidade independente da nossa mente e das nossas teorias.
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Research Interests: Philosophy and Dialectica
Una “questione degli individui” in biologia può essere articolata secondo le linee distinte da Francisco Suárez nella V delle sue Disputationes Metaphysicae (Disputatio 5. De unitate individuali eiusque principio, 1597). In questo... more
Una “questione degli individui” in biologia può essere articolata secondo le linee distinte da Francisco Suárez nella V delle sue Disputationes Metaphysicae (Disputatio 5. De unitate individuali eiusque principio, 1597). In questo contributo, dopo aver mostrato perché contare gli nidividui in biologia è tanto importante quanto complicato, propongo di distinguere tre modi possibili per contare (tramite i concetti sortali, tramite proprietà estrapolate da organismi-tipo, tramite la teoria dell’evoluzione) e li discuto.
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Although biological species might seem paradigmatic natural objects, several objections can be advanced against their independence from taxonomic activities and from scientific and social practices in general. Darwin himself, in the... more
Although biological species might seem paradigmatic natural objects, several objections can be advanced against their independence from taxonomic activities and from scientific and social practices in general. Darwin himself, in the second chapter of the Origin, claimed to be looking «at the term species as one arbitrarily given, for the sake of convenience, to a set of individuals closely resembling each other». In this contribution, I sketch the sticking points of the issue whether species are natural or social objects in the light of two of the main accounts of social objects, namely Searle’s, on the one hand, and Ferraris’ on the other.
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In this paper, the need of increasing transdisciplinarity research is advocated. After having set out some peculiarity of transdisciplinarity compared with related concepts such as multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, four... more
In this paper, the need of increasing transdisciplinarity research is advocated. After having set out some peculiarity of transdisciplinarity compared with related concepts such as multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, four evolutionary stages of scientific disciplines, based on a model recently proposed (Shneider in Trends Biochem Sci 34:217–223, 2009) are presented. This model is then applied to the case of Plant Physiology in order to attempt an evaluation of the potential for transdisciplinary engagement of the discipline, and each of the four stages of the discipline is evaluated. In conclusion, some future perspectives of Plant Physiology are sketched with reference to its transdisciplinary potential.
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Biological conservation has a long story, but what distinguishes Conservation Biology from previous conservation fields is its multidisciplinary scope and its character as a mission-oriented crisis discipline. These characteristics... more
Biological conservation has a long story, but what distinguishes Conservation Biology from previous conservation fields is its multidisciplinary scope and its character as a mission-oriented crisis discipline. These characteristics suggested the introduction of the metaphor of biological conservation as a sort of surgery. This paper is about the initial stages of such surgery. Firstly, some data about the so-called “Big Sixth”—the disease—will be presented together with some information about Conservation Biology—the surgeon. Then epistemic and epistemological difficulties in extinction assessment and conservation prioritization, and triage in particular, will be pointed out. It will be argued that, while data deficiency arising from empirical and practical constraints can in principle be overcome, a different order of difficulties stems from the competition among several species concepts. In this case, it will be suggested that the extent of complications is of such significance to require a thorough re-assessment of the very nature of the patients, i.e., outside the metaphor, of the concept of species.
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In questo articolo si delineano i primi passi per una «filosofia della classificazione» di certi oggetti biologici, i taxa, cioè gruppi di organismi come quelli cui ci riferiamo con il nome Homo sapiens o Drosophila melanogaster. Valutati... more
In questo articolo si delineano i primi passi per una «filosofia della classificazione» di certi oggetti biologici, i taxa, cioè gruppi di organismi come quelli cui ci riferiamo con il nome Homo sapiens o Drosophila melanogaster. Valutati i due approcci tradizionali, il realismo aristotelico e il concettualismo kantiano, ci si concentra sul primo. Viene mostrato che, così come il concettualismo viene messo in crisi da entità bizzarre come gli ornitorinchi, il realismo aristotelico viene invece messo fuori gioco da organismi transcategoriali per definizione come le chimere.
Morpheus lascia che sia Neo a decidere. Se ingerisce la pillola azzurra, la sua percezione del mondo non cambierà e la vita di Neo continuerà come sempre. Se ingerisce la pillola rossa, il mondo gli si manifesterà quale esso realmente... more
Morpheus lascia che sia Neo a decidere. Se ingerisce la pillola azzurra, la sua percezione del mondo non cambierà e la vita di Neo continuerà come sempre. Se ingerisce la pillola rossa, il mondo gli si manifesterà quale esso realmente è: una realtà che va ben al di là di quanto Neo possa anche solo lontanamente immaginare. «Pillola azzurra: fine della storia; pillola rossa: resti nel Paese delle Meraviglie e vedrai quanto è profonda la tana del bian- coniglio.» Neo fa la sua scelta e l’avventura comincia [...]
In some recent works, Barry Smith and Achille Varzi have put forward a mereotopological theory of the «ecological niche». The theory builds on related work in the fields of biology and ecological psychology, but it features novel and... more
In some recent works, Barry Smith and Achille Varzi have put forward a mereotopological theory of the «ecological niche». The theory builds on related work in the fields of biology and ecological psychology, but it features novel and philosophi- cally significant elements that go beyond the concerns of those disciplines and affects the very foundations of our thinking about the world and the entities that populate it. In particular, whereas traditional biological and eco-psychological theories focus their attention on the abstract concept of a niche understood as an environmental type, the mereotopological theory aims to be a piece of formal ontology – applicable in principle to a wide range of different domains – and focuses its attention on the concrete niche token. These differences, however, and the categorial shift that they determine, give rise to certain difficulties concerning (i) the relationship between the concepts of a «niche» and that of «habitat», and (ii) the apparent assimilation of an «ecological niche» with a «physical-behavioral unit» of some sort. In this paper I examine these two aspects of the mereotopological theory and I indicate some directions along which the philosophical import of the theory can be further developed.
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/evolutionary+%26+developmental+biology/book/978-3-319-15044-4 This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply... more
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/evolutionary+%26+developmental+biology/book/978-3-319-15044-4
This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply key insights from ecology and biogeography, developmental biology, biophysics, molecular phylogenetics, and even the sociocultural sciences to explain evolution in deep time. In the second part, the phenomenon of macroevolution is examined with the help of real life-history case studies on the evolution of eukaryotic sex, the formation of anatomical form and body-plans, extinction and speciation events of marine invertebrates, hominin evolution and species conservation ethics.
The book brings together leading experts, who explain pivotal concepts such as Punctuated Equilibria, Stasis, Developmental Constraints, Adaptive Radiations, Habitat Tracking, Turnovers, (Mass) Extinctions, Species Sorting, Major Transitions, Trends, and Hierarchies – key premises that allow macroevolutionary epistemic frameworks to transcend microevolutionary theories that focus on genetic variation, selection, migration and fitness.
Along the way, the contributing authors review ongoing debates and current scientific challenges; detail new and fascinating scientific tools and techniques that allow us to cross the classic borders between disciplines; demonstrate how their theories make it possible to extend the Modern Synthesis; present guidelines on how the macroevolutionary field could be further developed; and provide a rich view of just how it was that life evolved across time and space. In short, this book is a must-read for active scholars and, because the technical aspects are fully explained, it is also accessible for non-specialists.
Understanding evolution requires a solid grasp of above-population phenomena. Species are real biological individuals, and abiotic factors impact the future course of evolution. Beyond observation, when the explanation of macroevolution is the goal, we need both evidence and theory that enable us to explain and interpret how life evolves at the grand scale.
This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply key insights from ecology and biogeography, developmental biology, biophysics, molecular phylogenetics, and even the sociocultural sciences to explain evolution in deep time. In the second part, the phenomenon of macroevolution is examined with the help of real life-history case studies on the evolution of eukaryotic sex, the formation of anatomical form and body-plans, extinction and speciation events of marine invertebrates, hominin evolution and species conservation ethics.
The book brings together leading experts, who explain pivotal concepts such as Punctuated Equilibria, Stasis, Developmental Constraints, Adaptive Radiations, Habitat Tracking, Turnovers, (Mass) Extinctions, Species Sorting, Major Transitions, Trends, and Hierarchies – key premises that allow macroevolutionary epistemic frameworks to transcend microevolutionary theories that focus on genetic variation, selection, migration and fitness.
Along the way, the contributing authors review ongoing debates and current scientific challenges; detail new and fascinating scientific tools and techniques that allow us to cross the classic borders between disciplines; demonstrate how their theories make it possible to extend the Modern Synthesis; present guidelines on how the macroevolutionary field could be further developed; and provide a rich view of just how it was that life evolved across time and space. In short, this book is a must-read for active scholars and, because the technical aspects are fully explained, it is also accessible for non-specialists.
Understanding evolution requires a solid grasp of above-population phenomena. Species are real biological individuals, and abiotic factors impact the future course of evolution. Beyond observation, when the explanation of macroevolution is the goal, we need both evidence and theory that enable us to explain and interpret how life evolves at the grand scale.
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology, Geology, Philosophy of Science, and 27 morePhilosophy of Biology, Developmental Biology, Cultural Transmission (Evolutionary Biology), Macroevolution, Social and Cultural Anthropology, History of Science, History and Philosophy of Biology, Genetic Drift, Punctuated Equilibria, Embedded Systems, Systems Theory, Ecology, Molecular Genetics, Paleobiogeography, Evo-Devo (Developmental Biology), Hierarchy Theory, Natural Selection, Meiosis, Devonian, Cambrian-Devonian trilobites, Microevolution, Evolutionary Constraint, Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, Bioconservation, Punctuated Equilibrium, Modern Evolutionary Synthesis, and Eco-Evo-Devo-Perspective
An exchange of letters among proper names and natural-kind terms, dealing with various identity and individuation problems (rigid designation, use-mention ambiguities, translation) from their point of view.
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How can race and sex affect the way we perceive and shape our gender experience and gender expression? Are there different types of human bodies and different ways of sexually classifying them? What does make a woman (or man) a mother (or... more
How can race and sex affect the way we perceive and shape our gender experience and gender expression? Are there different types of human bodies and different ways of sexually classifying them? What
does make a woman (or man) a mother (or father)?; Is parenthood a biological or natural relationship? What defines a family? One of the main topics in analytic feminist philosophy is the notion of gender and it is widely held that it is a social constructed concept or category. This issue of Humana.Mente will address these and related questions.
does make a woman (or man) a mother (or father)?; Is parenthood a biological or natural relationship? What defines a family? One of the main topics in analytic feminist philosophy is the notion of gender and it is widely held that it is a social constructed concept or category. This issue of Humana.Mente will address these and related questions.
Research Interests: Sex and Gender and Family
A collection of new articles on the nature of conventions and on the tenability of conventionalist positions in various areas of philosophy, from metaphysics to epistemology, value theory, logic, and the philosophy of language.... more
A collection of new articles on the nature of conventions and on the tenability of conventionalist positions in various areas of philosophy, from metaphysics to epistemology, value theory, logic, and the philosophy of language. Introduction by E. Casetta. Papers by M. Ferraris, L. Franklin-Hall, M. García-Carpintero, F. Guala, A. P. Hazen, K. Miller, L. Morena, M. Rossi and J. Tagliabue, G. Torrengo, V. Tripodi, J. Westerhoff.