Matt Haber

More broadly, the lab explores the implications of challenging categorical thinking in biology, esp. for biological systematics, classification and nomenclature, but lab members are also studying this in the context of tech- and bioethics. It’s a great group and we’re excited to welcome summer RAs!

UofU Phil Bio Lab logo

SPUR RAs will work collaboratively in the lab on our Entangled Linages, Classification, and Individuality project. This examines how the breadth and depth of lineage entanglement impacts concepts of biological individuality, our biological theories, our methodological tools, and biological practice.

The Philosophy of Biology Lab: Entangled Lineages, Classification, and Individuality - Office of Undergraduate Research

If you know an undergrad that would like to spend the summer doing research in my philosophy of biology lab, encourage them to apply to the U’s SPUR program. Includes a $5,000 stipend and subsidized housing to work in my lab.

Details and how to apply here:
tinyurl.com/SPUR-PhilBio...

Biology’s Einstein Moment: Specifying Lineal Frames of Reference and Rejecting Absolute Biological History - Biological Theory We are currently in the midst of what I call biology’s Einstein moment. This is the rejection of absolute biological history, the idea that there is an invariant, privileged biological history against...

Last but not least, my "Biology's Einstein Moment: Specifying Lineal Frames of Reference and Rejecting Absolute Biological History." Name kind of says it all. TL;DR (but read it): specifying frames in reference in biology is super useful and informative:
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

Let’s Talk About Sex…Cell Lineages - Biological Theory Sex is fundamental to many organisms. It is through sexual reproduction that humans, and many metazoans (multicellular eukaryotes in the animal kingdom), propagate our species. For more than 150 years...

Kate MacCord's "Let’s Talk About Sex…Cell Lineages" revises and updates the epistemic framework of germ that challenges the Weismann barrier.
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

The Unit of Selection and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Without Lineage Formation - Biological Theory The aim of this article is to develop an approach to the unit of selection concept that fits the theory of evolution by natural selection without reproduction. I review the history of the concept to s...

François Papale's, "The Unit of Selection and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Without Lineage Formation." Unit of selection without reproduction. (Reminiscent of @fbouchard.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

Cancer Clones Revised - Biological Theory Cancers are hard to treat, and this is largely because cancer cells evolve and diversify through space and time, in patients. The study of clonal evolution relies on the study of cancer cell lineages,...

Lucie LaPlane's "Cancer Clones Revised" complicates the way we think about the clonal evolution model of cancer:
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

@lucielaplane.bsky.social

Vindicating Lineage Eliminativism - Biological Theory This article defends a selective eliminativist position with respect to the concept of “biological lineage” as used in certain areas of contemporary evolutionary biology. We argue that its primary epi...

Javier Suárez and Sophie Veigl's, "Vindicating Lineage Eliminativism." Super interesting paper that stakes out a position that challenges a lot of the ways I think about lineages:

doi.org/10.1007/s137...

Complicating the Concept of Lineage: A Topical Collection - Biological Theory Biological Theory -

The thematic issue I co-edited with @javiersuarez.bsky.social "Complicating the Concept of Lineage" is online. Includes papers by Javier & @phieveigl.bsky.social, @lucielaplane.bsky.social, François Papale, Kate MacCord and me. See reply for links to articles:
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1934 Can't sign in? Forgot your password?

Special issue on "The ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems." @pradeu.bsky.social @philinbiomed.bsky.social and all the other philosophers interested in immunology, etc.

royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...

Very proud to be part of this group of co-authors.

doi.org/10.1017/psa....

Looking forward to reading this. My undergrads brought up this topic in my lab this morning and I'm confident they'll be eager to read this as well.

Loving Porto #ISHPSSB2025. Looking forward to catching up with folks. If anyone wants to catch my talk it’s on Friday afternoon, in a session with (the always great) Joeri Witteveen. My talk is on rogue taxonomy, taxonomic vandalism and a surprising analog version of bad AI science. Should be fun!

Reflection on Taking a Class with Feyerabend This short reminiscence was written by James Griesemer and e-published for the Paul K. Feyerabend Centennial 1924–2024 (the 100th anniversary of his birth) in a grouping of personal me...

Jim's "Reflection on Taking a Class with Feyerabend" is a wonderful read. Captures his personality and approach as a philosopher. I remember Jim sharing these stories when I was a grad student, and was just passing them along to students in my lab the other day.

link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Scaffolding: Selected Contributions of James R. Griesemer to History, Philosophy, and Biology This book brings together some of Griesemer's most significant contributions for the first time, making it widely accessible in a single collection.

The complete book may be found at this link:

link.springer.com/book/9783031...

Thanks to @rachelankeny.bsky.social @mikedietrich.bsky.social @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social for putting together this wonderful volume. It's a great set up, each of Jim's papers are introduced by a different friend.

Introduction to “Formalization and the Meaning of ‘Theory’ in the Inexact Biological Sciences” Jim Griesemer papers are typically rich, creative, and challenging. One of my favorite things about a Griesemer paper is that some of the best bits are doing double duty as framing. That is well on di...

Excited to share that "Scaffolding: Selected Contributions of James R. Griesemer to History, Philosophy, and Biology" is out. I introduce Jim's chapter on formalization. (My original title, "Undermining Dichotomies and the Friends You Make Along the Way."

doi.org/10.1007/978-...

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1929 Can't sign in? Forgot your password?

For the cog sci folks out there, a special issue of Philosophical Transactions B @royalsocietypublishing.org: ‘Selection shapes diverse animal minds’. Collection of papers focusing on diversity of evolved animal cognition, from nematodes to primates.

royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...

The similarity to other papers is a bit deceptive. [I see you John.]

2025 Conference Submissions are now open and will be due by mid-July. Abstracts can be submitted here. We are pleased to announce that the 2025 conference of the Australasian Association for the History, Ph…

Call for Papers - AAHPSSS Conference 2025

Submissions are now open!

The 2025 AAHPSSS conference will be held in a hybrid format at the University of Queensland from Wednesday 3rd December to Friday 5th December.

Further details can be found on our website:
aahpsss.net.au/conference/2...

Or maybe it's not free to access and download? I'm not sure. Regardless, there's a philsci-archive draft in case you can't access the Synthese version:

philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25440/

Positively misleading errors - Synthese Positively misleading errors are errors of statistical reasoning in which adding data to an analysis will systematically and reliably strengthen support for an erroneous hypothesis over a correct one....

Very happy to see my "Positively Misleading Errors" finally published (it's been a long road). It generalizes an error of statistical reasoning discovered by Joe Felsenstein in 1978. Really happy with how it turned out.

Currently free to access and download, so go for it!

doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Biology’s Einstein Moment: Specifying Lineal Frames of Reference and Rejecting Absolute Biological History - Biological Theory We are currently in the midst of what I call biology’s Einstein moment. This is the rejection of absolute biological history, the idea that there is an invariant, privileged biological history against...

Excited to share the publication of my paper, "Biology's Einstein Moment" in Biological Theory. TL;DR: biology is complex and entangled and there's lot of very cool recent upshots of this. (Shout out to @javiersuarez.bsky.social). PS open access, so it's free to download.
doi.org/10.1007/s137...

Thank you Alisa! That's very kind.

Let’s Talk About Sex…Cell Lineages - Biological Theory Sex is fundamental to many organisms. It is through sexual reproduction that humans, and many metazoans (multicellular eukaryotes in the animal kingdom), propagate our species. For more than 150 years...

Interested in lineages? Read this paper by Kate MacCord on the germline.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Fun and provocative. A great combination of history and philosophy of biology.
Part of a spetial issue on Lineage in Biological Theory. @javiersuarez.bsky.social @profmatthaber.bsky.social

So glad to have your awesome paper in this issue!

"Cancer clones revised". Out in Biological Theory: rdcu.be/d4SEk
My first philosophy paper that includes a bioinformatic analysis (variance in gene expression from RNAseq data). Nothing fancy. But a first step. One I care about.
#PhiLabo

Thanks! That's a good tip. I think I'm following it. I'm still getting the hang of things around here.

Sure! Students can submit mock MCAT questions; propose new modules to diversify the course; write a commentary on a paper; analyze a relevant movie (h/t Eleanor Gilmore-Szott); interview a PI/Clinician they work with about the course topic; or propose a new assignment. One student is writing a song!

Bioethics Class Soundtrack Bioethics Class Soundtrack · Playlist · 17 songs

I've also created a 'Bioethics Course Soundtrack' on Spotify. I'll be adding to the playlist as more students turn in this assignment. I've been pleasantly surprised at the rich selection of music so far. Take a listen and see if it resonates! open.spotify.com/playlist/492...

I offer my students a menu of assignments they may select from. My current favorite is "Create a Course Playlist." Students include at least 8 songs and write liner notes describing how they correspond to topics or texts we covered in class. Here's an example of some liner notes.