C. Kenneth Waters, “The scientific metaphysics of biological hierarchy”

I will use this talk as an opportunity to discuss a new direction in my work. In the past, I eschewed metaphysics not only because it is speculative, but also because it provides a misleading basis for investigating scientific practice and knowledge. Although I still think metaphysics is speculative, I now believe it can provide a useful context for understanding science as a practice that invokes a plurality of approaches that work in piecemeal fashion to yield partial and perspectival knowledge. I will begin with a meta-level description of (what I take to be) scientific metaphysics. I will turn to the object-level by describing my general metaphysical thesis: the world has lots of structure, but no general structure. My published work in metaphysics has stressed the negative part of this thesis (“No General Structure” and “Ask Not What Is an Individual”). But currently, I am working on the positive part of the thesis, namely, that the world has lots of structure. I will report on how I am developing the idea that the biological world has lots of hierarchical structures but no overarching hierarchical structure into which they all fit.

Event is free and open to interested philosophers and scientists! Contact John (jbickle@philrel.msstate.edu) or Antonella (antonella.tramacere2@unibo.it) for login instructions.