Daniel S. Brooks

Header and abstract page of an original research article in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences (2026, volume 48, article 12) titled "Modeling versatility as the hallmark of model organisms," authored by Guido I. Prieto and Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda. Abstract In recent years, discussions on the epistemology of model organism-based research have emerged in the philosophy of science. A key topic of discussion is how the epistemic insights gained from model organisms differ from those gained through other experimental organisms used in laboratory and field research. Here, we argue that model organisms are epistemically special due to their nature as ontogenetically changeable, standardized, and evolved material model carriers. These characteristics afford six important kinds of modeling versatility that biologists marshal in their investigations: (i) synchronic target versatility; (ii) synchronic scope versatility; (iii) diachronic target versatility; (iv) diachronic scope versatility; (v) manipulation versatility; and (vi) discovery versatility. In presenting these dimensions of modeling versatility, we also clarify key notions such as ‘representational target,’ ‘representational scope,’ and ‘representational power’ as these apply to modeling practices that involve model organisms.

It has been argued that what sets model organisms apart from other experimental 🐋🌱 is their high representational power. In our latest 📃, we argue otherwise: the hallmark of MOs lies in the dimensions of modeling versatility they afford to scientists 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPS

In case you're interested in the history of the philosophical engagement (or lack thereof) with biological organization, HOPOS has provided me with a link to download my forthcoming paper (limit of 50) at the following link: www.journals.uchicago.edu/eprint/RGWQP...
#hpbio #philbio #philsci

Join us for this workshop with @petinozappala.bsky.social
Details+registration: www.imseam.uni-heidelberg.de/en/heinzelma...
#Philosophy #philsci #ethics #politics

What Is Life? Revisited Cambridge Core - Philosophy of Science - What Is Life? Revisited

This short book by @djnicholson.bsky.social is extraordinarily good for understanding not just the genesis, message and myths of Schrödinger's book but also why molecular biology developed in the way it did (and what's problematic about that).
www.cambridge.org/core/element...

#philsci #psychology
Abstract and link to join here 👉 www.imseam.uni-heidelberg.de/en/heinzelma...

My biggest piece yet for the #Rudolphina research magazine of #UniVienna on Rupert Riedl and thread of meta-inquiry that led to the creation of marine biology, theoretical biology, electron microscopy and cognitive biology at the University of Vienna. rudolphina.univie.ac.at/en/the-intel... #evobio

Rupert Riedl's intellectual legacy at the University of Vienna An adventurer, a biologist, a maverick and philosopher. One hundred years after Rupert Riedl's birth, biologists at the University of Vienna reflect on how his systems theory of life contributed to ev...

An adventurer, a biologist, a maverick and philosopher. 100 years after Rupert Riedl's birth, biologists at #univie are reflecting on how his systems theory of life contributed to evolutionary biology. 🎂⤵️

An excellent paper by @petinozappala.bsky.social on gatekeeping between disciplines nominally expected to integrate! #PhilSci #HPBio #evobio

<i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - <i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited

My little book on Schrödinger's famous classic 'What Is Life?' is out! Offering the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of the book's origins, reception, impact, and legacy, it uncovers Schrödinger's motivations in writing it, and shows how it has shaped our current understanding of the cell

YouTube video by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries Author Pamela McCorduck Interviews Herb Simon

absolutely fascinating - Pamela McCorduck interviews Herbert Simon in 1974, history of #ai www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFkO...

Today @dsbrooks.bsky.social and I hosted our symposium about conceptual ambiguity at #epsa25, with talks by us, Freek Oude Maatman and Markus Eronen (no pictures of me but you can see my intro slide) 😉

Book cover of "The Riddle of Organismal Agency: New Historical and Philosophical Reflections" (Routledge, 2024). The book belongs to the "History and Philosophy of Biology" series. The editors are Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda, Jan Baedke, Guido I. Prieto, and Gregory Radick. The design features a geometric pattern of interlocking, multicolored triangles in shades of red, yellow, teal, white, and pink. The Routledge logo appears in the lower right corner.

Organismal agency is one of today's liveliest debates in the life sciences. Our volume—published a year ago—brings historians, philosophers & scientists into the conversation, offering the kind of nuanced treatment this complex issue deserves 👇 www.routledge.com/The-Riddle-o... #HPS #evosky #philsky

(PDF) The Problem of Organization in Biology and Its Reception in Mainstream Philosophy of Science in the Mid-20th Century PDF | In the early to mid-20th century, English-speaking organicist biologists strongly advocated the idea of organization in biological phenomena as a... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...

My paper on the history of biological organization was accepted at HOPOS! The paper looks at organicist efforts in the first half of the 20th century to elevate organization in biology as a central practical and theoretical notion. #hpbio #philbio #histbio www.researchgate.net/publication/...

This paper was nine (!) years in the making, beginning as a side project about methodological disputes in philosophy of science before becoming a committed attempt to engage in a historically rich vein of conceptual theory in biology. It ended up at almost 19K words (!!).

*Or rather referred to organicist ideas as 'vitalism.'

Pushback against the organicists in mainstream philosophy of science, especially by Ernest Nagel and his student Morton Beckner, was harsh. They dismissed organization as an unspecified concept that promoted conviction over rational argument. Others like Hempel ignored organicism entirely*

(PDF) The Problem of Organization in Biology and Its Reception in Mainstream Philosophy of Science in the Mid-20th Century PDF | In the early to mid-20th century, English-speaking organicist biologists strongly advocated the idea of organization in biological phenomena as a... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...

My paper on the history of biological organization was accepted at HOPOS! The paper looks at organicist efforts in the first half of the 20th century to elevate organization in biology as a central practical and theoretical notion. #hpbio #philbio #histbio www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Devastated to hear this. His books shaped how I thought about development, evolution, history, and science in general. I corresponded with him during grad school when it was less acceptable to be a Marxist in science. His encouragement kept me in the game, and made the field seem less lonely.

@epsaphilsci.bsky.social junior scholar online series came to an end yesterday with a great talk about "How to deal with Imposter Syndrome and self doubt" by Azita Chellapo, @dsbrooks.bsky.social, @mjbuedo.bsky.social and @abigailnd.bsky.social. Thanks for the personal stories and helpful advices! 💐

We saved a baby squirrel that had overheated and was lying on the sidewalk. We gave the little guy some water and they perked right up: they climbed up on me, first on my shoulder, then decided to hang out on my head to collect themselves. After a bit they jumped off my head into a nearby tree.

DEADLINE EXTENDED to Apr 7 (midnight, CET)

For those of you who struggled with the submission system (we do to!), and those that didn't realize the deadline was on midnight **Central European Time**. 😉

Submit your motivation letter & CV at the link below:

#VeniceEvoDevo

Deadline extended to April 7th -- Please consider applying!

Deadline is TOMORROW night (Mar 31).
Not tonight, like wrongly announced at first.

And that's good news: because you get another 24hrs to apply, if you have not yet done so!

What are you waiting for!? 😉

Registration link below:

Venice Summer School 2025: Emergence & Evolution of Multi-Level Regulatory Systems Biological systems comprise multiple levels of organization , from molecules, organelles, and cells, to the multi-cellular structures that form whole tissues, organisms, and ultimately societies and …

If you're interested in theory in biology, please consider applying for this EMBO|FEBS Lecture Course "Emergence & Evolution of Multi-Level Regulatory Systems", organized by @yoginho.spore.social.ap.brid.gy, @nrepina.bsky.social, and James DiFrisco. meetings.embo.org/event/25-mul... #philsci #evobio

Promotional p;icture with the abstract of the article “Demystifying Downward Causation” by Yasmin Haddad, published in the Journal for General Philosophy of Science (JGPS).

The concept of 'downward causation' has faced many strong critiques. In her recent 📄 @yashaddad.bsky.social argues that, when adopting an interventionist view of causation and a levels of organization framework, we can explanatorily use the notion 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #hpbio

Really looking forward to this year's EMBO|FEBS Lecture Course: Emergence & Evolution of Multi-Level Regulatory Systems in Venice this year (meetings.embo.org/event/25-mul...). Applications for participants open until 31 March! #phlsci in #evobio & #devbio

More information and updates on the lecture course will be provided by following @veniceevodevo.bsky.social as well as from the instructors (including myself!) and the organizers -- The deadline for applications is 31 March, 2025!

The course will tackle questions like how levels originate and integrate in development and evolution, what interactions exist between levels, how to measure and manipulate biological systems across multiple scales, and how to model feedback across different levels.

The venue is in Venice, Italy, and the meeting spans the whole week from 17 – 22 August 2025. Speaking from experience, these meetings are a excellent source for enduring and dynamic dialogues. This year the meeting will be feature levels of organization in #devbio, #evodevo, #evobio, and others!