Profile picture
, 6 tweets, 6 min read Read on Twitter
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain Whether philosophical contributions to a specific science should be interesting to its practitioners is an interesting question. Much of biology has become so technology-driven & theory-averse that conceptual insights are not recognised even if they address fundamental problems.
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain Examples: (1) Moreno, Mossio et al.’s work on an organisational theory of the organism. Addresses the fundamental question of what life is. Completely neglected.
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain Examples: (2) Wimsatt’s criticisms of reductionism in biology. Understanding the limitations of molecular biology & genetics would allow us to escape the intellectual monoculture that biology has become & address some really important research questions at different levels.
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain Examples: (3) Process philosophy (e.g. Dupré & @NicholsonHPBio) has had a very specific & crucial influence on my own research trajectory. Same for Bechtel’s view of mechanistic explanation. This is philosophy that has changed my biology in very concrete & productive ways.
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain @NicholsonHPBio And yet, none of these philosophical views are catching on. Not because philosophers don’t explain them well or keep to themselves, but only because biologists are not interested at all in any intellectual challenges to their preconceived notions. And that’s a real shame.
@CormacORafferty @vicluqmar @WiringTheBrain @NicholsonHPBio In fact, it limits progress in current biology. We don’t even see some of the most important research questions & challenges of our time within our own field. Or we think they are too risky to be tackled. Philosophy broadens our horizons… if we would only let it.
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Yogi Jaeger
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!