Thomas Pradeu, The Limits of the Self. Immunology and Biological Identity [Translated by Elizabeth Vitanza], Oxford University Press, 2012. [More about]
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Professeur, Membre senior honoraire de l'Institut Universitaire de France (1984 et 2010), Paris 1
Jean Gayon’s work have developed along two lines : philosophy and history of the life sciences. Historical contributions bear on 19th and 20th centuries: biology of populations and biometry, theory of evolution, and genetics.
Philosophical contributions bear on :
1) conceptual clarification of various issues dealing with "philosophy of biology" in the modern sense of the word, for example : species concept, race concept, structure of theory of evolution, units of selection, chance, model organisms.
2) Analyses of several key figures in 19th and 20th centuries "biological philosophies" of (Bernard, Nietzsche, Pearson, Canguilhem, Dagognet, Sober, Grene, etc). (3) Reflexion over some éthical and political questions relating to biological sciences and medicine: genetic enhancement, eugenics, human races, conservation of species.
Additional contributions bear on philosophy of science in general and on its relationship with history of science.
J. Gayon's current research of J Gayon relates mainly to the following issues :
(1) concept of function in Biology and and the human sciences
(2) explanation in Evolutionary Biology
(3) History of Genetics
(4) methodology of History of Science.
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