Presenter: Yafeng Shan (Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Chair: Professor Zhiqiang Hu (Department of Philosophy, School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academic of Sciences. Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Date and Time

2024, May, 8, 14:00-16:00

Venue: Lecture Hall, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Organizer: Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

Abstract

It has been over 60 years since Ernst Mayr famously argued for the distinction between proximate and ultimate causes in biology. In the following decades, Mayr’s proximate-ultimate distinction was well received within evolutionary biology and widely regarded as a major contribution to the philosophy of biology. Despite its enormous influence, there has been a persistent controversy on the distinction. It has been argued that the distinction is untenable. In addition, there have been complaints about the pragmatic value of the distinction in biological research. Some even suggest that the distinction should better be abandoned. In contrast, Mayr had consistently maintained the significance of the proximate-ultimate distinction in biology. There are also other attempts to defend the distinction. The talk will examine the debate by taking an integrated History and Philosophy of Science approach and argue for a functional approach to causal concepts in scientific practice.

 

Speaker’s Info

Yafeng Shan is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is primarily working on philosophy of science, epistemology, and metaphilosophy. His books include Alternative Approaches to Causation: Beyond Difference-Making and Mechanism (OUP, 2024), Evidential Pluralism in the Social Sciences (Routledge, 2023), Examining Philosophy Itself (Wiley, 2023), and Doing Integrated History and Philosophy of Science: A Case Study of the Origin of Genetics (Springer, 2020).

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