Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of science is one of the department's main areas of research and teaching. Click on the arrows to explore the different research topics that our team works on!

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)?

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

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? 

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?

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? 

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

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? 

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?  

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?