Philosophy of science

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Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of science is one of the department's main areas of research and teaching. At present, seven faculty members and eleven PhD students work in this field. Click on the arrows to explore the different research topics that our team works on!

Photo by Marie Kaiser
Philosophy of molecular biology

How do scientists explain biological phenomena such as protein folding? When can they reduce macrolevel properties to the molecular machinery underlying them? What is the relation between biological units (e.g. cells) as a whole and their parts (e.g. mitochondria)?

Image in Public Domain
Philosophy of neuroscience

How many areas does the brain have? An answer to this question turns not only on anatomical data, but also on our concept of a "brain area". This famous map of the human cortex by Korbinian Brodmann depicts 43 areas.

Image in Public domain. Source: Brodmann, K. (1909) Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Grosshirnrinde in ihren Prinzipien dargestellt auf Grund des Zellenbaues.
Philosophy of behavioral ecology

Recent work in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology suggest that biological individuals like this long-tailed broadbill live in their own, individual niche. But what is the precise meaning of the concept of an "individualized ecological niche"? And what kinds of things are individualized niches in the world?

Photo by Jason Thompson on Wikimedia Commons
Biological theories of function

What mental representations do frogs and toads use to catch their food? How are these representations related to the evolution of their perceptual systems? And what does that tell us about the function of mental representations in humans?

Image in Public Domain
Science and Society

How should we use scientific insights to tackle broader social issues? For example: how should we use climate science to distribute the risks of global climate change in a just manner? How should we deal with uncertainty in climate models when devising climate policy decisions? Which means do we have for assessing this uncertainty and limiting its impact?

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash
Philosophy of health sciences

What is good evidence for models in nutrition science? And how are models of nutrition intertwined with views about health in society at large?

Image by Maine Historical Society
Philosophy of Economics

The supply and demand curve is a typical mathematical tool used by economists to represent economic processes. How do such formal tools relate to the more informal parts of economic models? And once such models are implemented in real-world markets, how do we evaluate their successes and risks?

Image in Public Domain
Feminist philosophy of science

These 19th century drawings of a male and female skeleton are presented together with animals they were thought to resemble. How do notions of female and male gender interact with research on topics such as human anatomy?

Credit: Wellcome Collection
Philosophy of physics

This equation describes the so-called Veneziano amplitude and marks the moment where strong theory set off. How can we understand what this theory tells us about the world, given that strings can only be described in a purely mathematical language?

Photo by Milla Lifke

Philosophy of Science at Bielefeld

Study philosophy of science at Bielefeld

as part of the BA and MA philosophy program offered by the department
as part of a philosophy of science minor in others programs
within the MA program History, Economics, and Philosophy of Science (HEPS). HEPS includes an international track taught in English.

Philosophy of science at Bielefeld University has two core areas. On the one hand, we share an interest in questions concerning the relations between science and society, science and values, and science in the context of application. On the other hand, we engage in the practices of the life sciences (e.g., biology, neuroscience, medicine, and psychology) and address various methodological, conceptual and metaphysical questions. In both core areas our research is characterized by a practice-oriented, interdisciplinary approach.

Colloquia and reading groups

The Institute for Interdisciplinary studies of science (I²SoS) holds a weekly colloquium, in which papers are given by invited speakers and local researchers from across the philosophy, history, economics and sociology of science. The members of the Doctoral School meet several times during the semester for the GRK colloquium; there is the Brown Bag reading group in which we discuss our work in progress and a weekly Team meeting of the philosophers of the life sciences (PhilBio Meeting). In the reading group Classics and Gems, graduate students and anyone else interested discuss high-profile classics and lesser known gems from post-positivist philosophy of science (monthly meetings Tuesdays 2-4p, please contact David Lambert for details). Additionally, the department hosts talks of invited speakers and a research seminar (Philosophischer Club). Furthermore, the recently established Bielefeld colloquium in philosophy of psychiatry is happy to welcome new members.

International exchange

Philosophy of science in Bielefeld has an international orientation. Our team regularly offers classes, colloquia and conferences in English and with participation of international scholars.

Students can participate in exchange programs with leading institutions, such as the University of Notre Dame, Georgia State University, University of Bologna, Paris-Sorbonne University.

Bielefeld also participates in the EPSA program offering visiting fellowships for
junior philosophers working in Central and Eastern Europe.

For graduate students can be part of the European Ph.D.-Network in Theoretical Philosophy, which aims at promoting the scientific quality and the internationalization of doctoral education (members: universities of Bergen, Bielefeld, Bologna, Bucharest, Helsinki, and Uppsala).

Research

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Science studies at Bielefeld

philosophy of science as a key research area within the Institute for interdisciplinary Studies of Science (I²SoS)
interdisciplinary cooperation with history of science, sociology of science and economics of science
strong connections to Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) - Germany's oldest centre of advanced studies
one of the university's original key research areas (Universitätsschwerpunkt USP Wissenschaftsforschung), including the former Institute of Science and Technoloy Studies IWT (Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung)

The I²SoS hosts several research projects, amongst them the DFG-funded Doctoral School "Integrating Ethics and Epistemology of Scientific Research" , two DFG-funded research projects on research in the context of application, and on methodological questions of climate research, and an EU-funded project on responsible research and innovation. Philosophy of science is also part of two DFG-funded Collaboraltive Research Centres (CRCs), one on "A Novel synthesis of Individualization across Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution" the other one on "Practices of Comparing".

Present projects

“Cross-sectional Project Concept Formation”, project in the research grouproject "Individualisation in Changing Environments (InChangE)" funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of NRW, PIs: Kaiser M.I., Malsch A. (2022-2025)

DFG research project "Individual-based research: concepts, epistemology and integration"; project in the CRC-TRR 212 "A Novel Synthesis of Individualisation across Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution"

DFG research project “Complex Biological Dispositions: A Case Study in the Metaphysics of Biological Practice”; project in the research group FOR 2495 “Inductive Metaphysics” (2020-2023)

DFG research project "Research in the Context of Practice: Strategies for Making Application-Oriented Science Epistemically Sound and Practically Beneficial" (2019-2022)

DFG Doctoral School (Graduiertenkolleg 2073) "Integrating Ethics and Epistemology of Scientific Research" ; together with the University Hannover (since 2015)

Past projects

DFG research project "Comparing at the Interface of the Physical and Life Sciences, 1960 to 2000"; project in the CRC 1204 "Praktiken des Vergleichens (Practices of Comparison)" (2017-2020)

ZiF Cooperation group "Governance, Incentives, and the Quality of Knowledge" (2019-2021)

DFG research project "The Ontological Status of Individualised Niches"; project in the CRC-TRR 212 "A Novel Synthesis of Individualisation across Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution" (2018-2021)

ZiF Cooperation group "Breaking Confines: Interdisciplinary Model-Building for a Complex World" (2018-2020)

DFG research project "Climate Engineering In Between Reliability and Liability (CEIBRAL)", part of SPP 1689 (2013-2016); continued as "Climate Engineering Liability and Reliability: An Integrated Treatment (CELARIT)" (2016-2019)

"Responsible Research and Innovation", a project funded within the Nucleus consortium (New Understanding of Communication, Learning and Engagement in Universities and scientific institutions) within Horizon 2020 (2015-2019)

Dilthey Fellowship "Science and Values", funded by Volkswagen Stiftung (2009-2016)

ZiF Cooperation group "Mathematics as a Tool" (2012-2015)

ZiF Research group "Science in the Context of Application" (2006-2007)

People

Prof. Martin Carrier

Addresses the relationship between science and society
What distinguishes fundamental from application-oriented research in methodological respects? What makes research socially responsible or practically fruitful?
Can these features be captured by interrelations of different kinds of values (epistemic, economic, social etc.)?