RESEARCH
Dissertation
Generalizations in Practice: Investigating Generality and Specificity in Developmental Biology
Abstract
Although there is a consensus that pursuits of general knowledge are crucial in almost all fields of science, the majority of philosophical analyses of generalizations have focused narrowly on universal generalizations or laws of nature and what role generalizations play in scientific explanations. This narrow focus has limited the scope of philosophical discussions about scientific generalizations. This dissertation proposes and exemplifies a broader inquiry into scientific generalizations that is motivated by the question: how do scientists pursue, formulate, reason about, utilize, and communicate generalizations? In other words, how are generalizations practiced in science? To address this broad set of questions, I focus on a particular field—developmental biology— and examine investigative and representational practices surrounding generalizations. Like many other fields, developmental biology seeks both widely shared regularities and the details of causal processes peculiar to specific systems. My analyses show how this dual interest in generality and specific details is interconnected and mutually contribute to each other.
This dissertation is organized as follows. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of how philosophers have discussed generalizations. I point out that the interests in laws and explanation have dominated the past discussions. In contrast, my approach focuses on investigative and representational practices of generalization, which have received very little philosophical attention. Chapter 2 analyzes two approaches to generalizations in developmental biology: mechanisms and principles. These are distinguished based on the relevance of abstraction. I show that the two approaches are associated with different investigative practices. This analysis illustrates what forms of non-universal generalizations developmental biologists seek and formulate, which serves as a basis for discussions in the following chapters. Chapter 3 explores generalizations from the perspective of modeling desiderata. I offer a characterization of what I call multiple-models juxtaposition (MMJ), a strategy for managing a trade-off between generality and detail in scientific models. MMJ displays models of distinct processes together and fulfills different desiderata both in the individual models and by a comparison of those models. I also clarify the distinction between MMJ and multiple-models idealization (MMI), which also uses multiple models to manage trade-offs among desiderata. Chapter 4 focuses on the use of model systems. Biologists often study particular biological systems as models of a phenomenon of interest, even if they know that the phenomenon is produced by diverse mechanisms and hence none of those systems alone can sufficiently represent it. I argue that even if generalizability of results from a single model system is significantly limited, generalizations concerning specific aspects of mechanisms often hold across certain ranges of biological systems. This enables multiple model systems to jointly represent such a phenomenon. Chapter 5 considers the question “how and why do scientists generalize?” by challenging three influential assumptions: (1) generalizations are expressed linguistically; (2) scientists generalize by formulating a single representation with wide applicability; and (3) generalizations are valuable because they enable scientific explanations. My analysis of a concrete example illustrates roles that visual representations play in generalizations. It also shows that formulating a single, unified representation is not the only way to generalize; scientists often generalize by configuring multiple representations. Finally, I argue that generalizations serve to facilitate cross-fertilization among studies of different target systems, which complements the explanation-centered view.
Research articles
Yoshida Y (2023) “Joint representation: Modeling a phenomenon with multiple biological systems.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 99: 67-76
Yoshida Y (2021) "Multiple-models juxtaposition and trade-offs among modeling desiderata." Philosophy of Science 88(1): 103-123 [preprint]
Yoshida Y, Nakao H (2015) "EvoDevo as a motley aggregation: Local integration and conflicting views of genes during the 1980s." Biological Theory 10(2): 156-166
Book chapters
Love AC, Yoshida Y (2019) "Reflections on model organisms in evolutionary developmental biology." In: W Tworzydlo, S Bilinski (eds) Evo-Devo: Non-model species in cell and developmental biology, pp. 3-20, Springer, Berlin
Papers in preparation
Yoshida Y. “Generalization Reconfigured: An Inquiry into Investigative and Representational Practice of Scientific Generalization.” - draft available upon request
Yoshida Y, Love AC. "Mechanisms and principles: Two approaches to scientific generalization." - draft available upon request
Book reviews
Yoshida Y (2016) Review of Towards a theory of development, by A. Minelli and T. Pradeu (eds.) Philosophy and History of Science Studies 10: 92-95 (in Japanese)
Other publications
Yoshida Y (2021) “Multiple model systems and representation of biological phenomena.” Integrated HPS Conference Proceedings
Yoshida Y, Saitoh H, Anzai N, Fujimoto H, Hirai M (2014) Review of Anals of Science special issue: “The representation of animals in the early modern period.” The Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry 41(3): 160-162 (in Japanese)
Sakamoto K, Ito K, Yoshida Y, Fujimoto H (2013) Review of Isis special issue: “Science, history, and modern India.” The Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry 40(4): 220-222 (in Japanese)
Yoshida Y, Takao K, Nakao H (2013) “Evo-devo and eco-evo-devo.” Critical review of Evolution: A developmental approach, by Wallace Aurthur, and Ecological develop- mental biology: Integrating epigenetics, medicine, and evolution, by S. F. Gilbert and D. Epel, Philosophy and History of Science Studies 7: 67-77 (in Japanese)
Oral presentations († = invited)
“Mechanisms and principles: Two kinds of scientific generalization.” European Philosophy of Science Association, Belgrade, Serbia, September 22, 2023
“Mechanisms and principles: Two kinds of scientific generalization.” Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh, USA, November 11, 2022
“Generalizations, visual representations, and mechanistic explanations.” Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, Ghent, Belgium, July 2, 2022
“Roles of scientific generalizations beyond explanation: The case of collective cell migration.” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, online, July 19, 2021
“How scientific generalizations facilitate investigations.” Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA, July, 2020 [accepted][conference canceled]
“Scientific generalizations seen through biological practices.” Philosophy Online Seminar, April, 26, 2020 (in Japanese)†
“Where might developmental biology go?” Summer Symposium of Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, Japan Amphibian Laboratory, Nikko, Japan, September, 2019 (in Japanese)†
“Epistemic values, trade-offs, and multiple-models juxtaposition.” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, July 8, 2019
“Characterizing and evaluating a rationalist approach to biology.” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, University of S ̃ao Paulo, S ̃ao Paulo, Brazil, July 21, 2017
“Is evolutionary developmental biology a theoretical synthesis?” The Japan Association for Philosophy of Science, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan, June 18, 2016 (in Japanese)†
“‘Emerging concept’ in developmental biology.” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada, July 8, 2015
“Philosophy of developmental biology: From a historical perspective.” Meeting for young scholars of philosophy of science in Japan, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, September 27, 2014 (in Japanese)†
“Evo-devo as a motley aggregation: Interdisciplinary studies during the 1980s.” [with Hisashi Nakao] Japan-Taiwan Philosophy and History of Biology Workshop, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi, Taiwan, March 7, 2014†
“Eco-evo-devo as a recovery of diversity.” Philosophy of Science Society, Japan, Hosei University, Chiyoda, Japan, November 24, 2013 (in Japanese)
“Theoretical and methodological diversity in the 1980s: Early development of evo-devo.” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, Université Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France, July 11, 2013
“An origin of evo-devo as an ‘extended’ synthesis: Morphological evolution independent of genetic changes.” Philosophy of Science Society, Japan, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan, November 11, 2012 (in Japanese)
“Overlooked elements in the history of evo-devo: Studies of epigenetics in the 80s.” [with Hisashi Nakao] IHPST Paris-CAPE Kyoto, philosophy of biology workshop, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, November 4, 2012 (in Japanese)†
Poster presentations
“Generalizations, visual representations, and mechanistic explanations.” Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh, USA, November 11, 2022
“Collective representation: Modeling a phenomenon with multiple biological systems.” Philosophy of Science Association, Baltimore, USA, November 12, 2021
“Representing a phenomenon with multiple biological systems.” European Philosophy of Science Association, online, September 15, 2021
“Multiple model systems and representation of biological phenomena.” Philosophy of Science Association, online, February 5, 2021
“Roles of generalizations beyond explanation: A case from the research of collective cell migration.” Integrated History and Philosophy of Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA, July 15–17, 2020 [accepted][conference canceled]
“Mechanisms and principles: Two kinds of scientific generalization.” [with Alan Love] Philosophy of Science Association, Seattle, USA, November 2, 2018
“Melanocyte localization in the urogenital systems of chicken embryos.” [with Yuji Atsuta and Yoshiko Takahashi] Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, Tsukuba, Japan, June 2–5, 2015