Welcome!

This conference aims to promote international academic interaction in philosophy of biology between early-career researchers. 

In recent years, philosophy of biology has not only expanded rapidly as a subfield of philosophy of science, but has also become increasingly specialized into many subfields and more connected with other areas of philosophy such as linguistic or philosophy of mind for example. International academic cooperation among researchers at early career stages is vital both for individual academic careers and for the cohesive development of this field. We are committed to encouraging young researchers in philosophy of biology to engage in international academic exchange.

💡Upcoming Event💡

Online Early-Career Researchers Workshop on Function and Dysfunction in Human and Animal Behaviours 

Date: 9th May

Time: (France, CEST) 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM / (Japan, JST) 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM. 

Please check your timezone here: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Registration: https://forms.gle/5xLDWePzCrjiTuAX6

Zoom link: https://univ-grenoble-alpes-fr.zoom.us/j/93685837179?pwd=Tdyjhaw5ribKBbtKckKO9PmJcHB03D.1

(ID de réunion: 936 8583 7179 / Code secret: 35595)

Statements:

The philosophy of biology is currently experiencing a remarkable international revival. Questions long confined to metaphysics — what is life? what is a biological function? how should we think about disease and dysfunction? — are now at the heart of debates involving both philosophers and biologists. France occupies a unique position in this field, with a strong tradition of epistemology of life inherited from Canguilhem, now renewed by programmes that practise philosophy in direct contact with the experimental sciences. Although Japanese philosophy has long relied on the translation and importation of Western thought, Japan offers a distinctive perspective on life, nature, and related themes. As the philosophy of biology continues to expand, diversify, and internationalize, a pressing question is how the Japanese philosophical community can preserve and strengthen its unique voice and standing in the field.

This Franch-Japanese symposium is part of this momentum. Bringing together two distinct philosophical traditions — one inherited from European historical epistemology, the other nourished by different perspectives on nature, the body and normativity — around a common subject as fundamental as biological functions and dysfunctions creates the conditions for a particularly fruitful dialogue. The notion of function is at the crossroads of evolutionary biology, medicine, philosophy of mind and the ethics of care; that of dysfunction raises normative questions that cannot be reduced to a single cultural or conceptual tradition. This symposium aims to advance these debates by enriching them with a truly international and comparative perspective.

Schedule (CEST/JST) :

The abstracts for the individual talks can be found here

Welcome 

(symposium):

8:00-9:00 / 3:00-4:00 Shunkichi Matsumoto (Tokai University) 

Function and dysfunction in evolutionary medicine

Talks (20 minutes+10 minutes Q&A):

9:10-9:40 / 4:10-4:40 Tatsuyuki Sato (Hokkaido University, Ph.D. candidate)

Difference in the location of inference in clinical and basic medical research

9:45-10:15 / 4:45-5:15 Doudja Boumaza (Université Grenoble Alpes, CPM, Keio University, Ph.D. candidate)

A tale of one function: episodic memory and its multiple evolutionary functions. 

10:20-10:50 / 5:20-5:50 Aki Kondo (University of Tsukuba, Ph.D. candidate)

The etiological function of the minds

-15 minutes break-

11:05-11:35 / 6:05-6:35 Rin Takahashi (Keio University, Master's student)

The metabolism-first hypothesis and the genealogy of French epistemology

11:40-12:10 / 6:40-7:10 Erika Suzuki (Tohoku University, Ph.D. candidate)

Applying Kitcher’s functional analysis to biological cases: successes and tensions

12:15-12:45 / 7:15-7:45 Beya Boumaza (Ornithologist, GP, Independent researcher) 

Parasitism of cuckoo, an evolutionary function of reproductive success

12:50-1:20 / 7:50-8:20 Minato Asari (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Project Assistant Professor)

What is misinformation? An information-theoretic approach

1:25-1:55 / 8:25-8:55 Mathilde Tahar (University College London, Research Fellow)

Is play just a frivolous activity?

Concluding remarks