Programme

The main topics discussed in the philosophy of biology will be presented, in particular: adaptationism, reductionism, determinism, the relationship between biology and learning, the evolutionary functions of traits considered distinctive to human beings, such as mentalisation, imitation, language, the principles of evolutionary theory, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology.
It will also be discussed whether and how the study of these topics requires an interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophy and biology.

Core Documentation

Borghini, A., & Casetta, E. (2013). Filosofia della biologia (pp. 1-308). Carocci.
Jablonka, E., Lamb, M. J., & Zeligowski, A. (2007). L'evoluzione in quattro dimensioni: variazione genetica, epigenetica, comportamentale e simbolica nella storia della vita. Utet.
Tramacere, A. (2022). Introduzione alle psicologie evoluzionistiche. L'origine della mente umana tra scienza e filosofia (pp. 1-168). Clueb.

Attendance

Mandatory.