Excited to share a new review by @kocherlab.bsky.social and me:
Nature-inspired neuroscience
We discuss diverse sensory systems and behaviors across the animal kingdom and argue for their integration into neuroscience. New tools in diverse systems are making this possible ✨
tinyurl.com/y5y9du27
Cover of 'A Critical Introduction to Knowledge-First Epistemology' by Artūrs Logins.
Presenting the main concepts and key assumptions of knowledge-first theses, Arturs Logins' authoritative and engaging introduction critically evaluates some of the most debated issues in recent epistemology.
Out now: https://bit.ly/4mvWYSV
Preview: https://bit.ly/4tRFJxY
ABSTRACT. According to Bayesians, agents should respond to evidence by conditionalizing their prior degrees of belief on what they learn. A major aim of this article is to demonstrate that there are common scenarios where Bayesian conditionalization is less rational—from both an ecological and an internal perspective—than other theoretically well-motivated belief updating strategies, even in simple situations and even for an ‘ideal’ agent who is computationally unbounded. The examples also serve to demarcate the conditions under which Bayesian conditionalization may be expected to be ecologically optimal. A second aim of the article is to argue for a broader notion of rationality than what is typically assumed in formal epistemology. On this broader understanding of rationality, classical decision theoretic principles such as expected utility maximization play a less important role.
This issue's Editors' Choice article (free to read):
On the Ecological and Internal Rationality of Bayesian Conditionalization
– Olav B Vassend
Abstract in alt text or read it here:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
#philsci #philsky
You can still register for today's talk in the ROTO Lecture Series! Just click the link and join us on zoom at 4pm (CET)! 🌻
rotorub.wordpress.com/roto-lecture...
The Unfolding World: Causal & Physical Cognition in Humans and Other Animals (April 24-25)
We're bringing together comparative, computational, developmental, vision science & philosophy for a workshop on causal reasoning + intuitive physics!
If you're in the Cambridge (UK) area, check it out! ⬇️
Charles Darwin died OTD in 1882.
Stories of a deathbed renunciation of his doubts about Christianity and recantation of his theory circulated widely (mostly in the US, predictably). They were, however, lies.
He was buried in Westminster Abbey, next to John Herschel.
🧪🌱🐋 #HistSTM #Evobio #PhilSci
In a few weeks, we'll be discussing the Amazon on the Planetary Embassy program of Swissnex Boston/NY Come join us! shorturl.at/pivSu with Claudia Tomateo, Livio Silva and Mauricio Fontes.
Do microbial organisms undergo programmed cell death (PCD)? 🦠🔬 In their latest piece, Pierre Durand and Grant Ramsey (@theramseylab.bsky.social) argue that an evolutionary concept of PCD applies to all cells across the tree of life.
📚👇 link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
#evosky #HPbio #philsci
A reminder that the Philosophy Jobs feed lists posts that link to philjobs.org or which are tagged with #PhilJobs or #PhilosophyJobs. #philosophy #PhilSky
Feels like this paper on protein-templated DNA synthesis by a natural enzyme warrants some comment.
So here's a 🧵. /1
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY Individual Resilience and Collective Action in Evolutionary Biology LIGHTNING TALKS: 9:15 - 10:30 AM EDT Focus on the collective: what can our community do in a time of uncertainty? PROTHAMA MANNA, CLEMSON UNIV. MOHAMED NOOR, DUKE UNIVERSITY RUTH SHAW, UNIV. OF MINNESOTA JOSEPH GRAVES, NC A&T STATE UNIV. SCOTT EDWARDS, HARVARD UNIV. EMILY JOSEPHS, MICHIGAN STATE UNIV. ALISON DAVIS RABOSKY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN WORKSHOP & BREAKOUTS: 11 - 12:30 PM EDT Focus on the individual: how scientists can respond constructively, creatively, and sustainably in the face of instability NELIA VIVEIROS, UNIV. OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS
👋 👋 SSE members, I hope you'll join me May 21 for the virtual SSE Presidential Symposium:
Navigating Uncertainty: Individual Resilience and Collective Action in Evolutionary Biology
Pls RT to help get the word out!
ICYMI: Matthew Sims reviews Jan Baedke’s The Organism
www.thebsps.org/reviewofbook...
#philsci #hpbio #philsky
I am so excited to share our new findings with you! We provide the structural evidence for a direct protein-to-DNA information pathway, showing how a bacterial enzyme 'reads' its own structure to 'write' DNA. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A brain
Latest papers: Ryan M. Nefdt & Giosuè Baggio address the relationship between philosophy and cognitive neuroscience doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
REMINDER nominations for the Hempel Award are due April 30! Check the thread for more details 👇
Eeee!!!! So, good news: me and @lepidodendron.bsky.social will be co-hosting a symposium at EPPC this year looking at plant Paleoart!!!!! This has been a long time coming, so I'm incredibly excited that we can finally announce it! #paleoart #paleobotany #conference #FossilFriday #botany
💐 Congratulations to our Postdoctoral Fellow Marcelo Domingos de Santis on his new publication! 👏👏👏
"On 'Hennig’s Dilemma' and the Post-Systematics Wars"
www.kli.ac.at/en/the_kli/n...
📣it’s today!📣
#Philosophy #PhilosophyofBiology
@kli.ac.at
Looking forward to taking part in the Embodied and Comparative Psychology conference at the Universidad de Murcia next month! embodiedcomparativepsychology.square.site
I was thrilled to read this great review of my book Death by Gordon McOuat in the JHB
Thanks Gordon !
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#philbio #histbio #philsci #evobio #aging
Siri, what's the Matthew Effect?
Very interesting talk in our joint research seminar—recommendation! And our seminar will continue on May 7, with Vasso Kindi speaking about "Is Historiography a Science?".
Horrah - this is out. Thanks @aristotsoc.bsky.social for asking me to write it.
Duddington and Our Awareness of Others’ Minds academic.oup.com/aristotelian...
Preprint: What good is modeling? Introducing biology students to theory - arxiv.org/abs/2604.13344 - how to teach and think about what modeling contributes to science. How does it fit into the scientific method? This is often misunderstood.
Have an idea for a special issue? Don't miss the opportunity!
BJHS Themes (BSHS + Cambridge University Press) invites Guest Editor proposals.
🗓 Deadline: 1 July 2026
🔗 bshs.org.uk/bjhs-themes-...
Our Ulrich Stegmann's chapter in the forthcoming collection, Images of the Plant Humanities, discusses the history of plant morphology - specifically the 18th century insight that different-looking floral organs (like petals and stamens) are actually 'the same' organ.
www.abdn.ac.uk/people/u.ste...
New on the Archive:
Cressman, Darryl and Simons, Massimiliano (2026) The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology. [Preprint]
https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/29151/
