lgBIG — lake geneva BIOLOGICAL INTEREST GROUP
The lake geneva BIOLOGICAL INTEREST GROUP is a forum for discussing biology from a multitude of perspectives, including philosophical, scientific and historical, and was founded in 2012 at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Geneva. Our standing members are based in different institutions at the Universities of Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, and Milan. We consider ourselves to be part of a BIG international movement that includes kindred groups at the University of Minnesota and the University of Exeter. Our members are also participating in the From Biological Practice to Scientific Metaphysics initiative, sinergia and What if? research projects.
Our meetings take place on Tuesdays from 12:15 to 14:00 in Bâtiment des Philosophes in the room Phil102 (22, boulevard des Philosophes). We discuss our own research as well as other contemporary philosophical, scientific and historical work that addresses interesting biological issues.
Everyone is welcome!
Members in Geneva
Lorenzo Casini
Silvia de Cesare
Christine Clavien
Lucie Cauwet
Michaela Egli
Michal Hladky
Anatolii Kozlov
Michele Luchetti
Guillaume Schlaepfer
Michael Stuart
Marcel Weber
External members
William Bausman (Wisconsin)
Rawad El Skaf (Salzburg)
Maria José Ferreira Ruiz
Pierre-Luc Germain (Zürich)
François Pellet (Münster)r)
Tiberiu Popa (Butler University)
Christian Sachse (Lausanne)
Raphael Scholl (Cambridge)
Martin Wasmer (Hannover)
Activities
Program (provisional) Spring Term 2021
23 Feb Organizational meeting for MA students
02 March Marcel Weber, “Coherent causal control: The challenge from systems biology"
09 March Michal Hladky on Jonas’s and Kording’s “Could a neuroscientist understand a microprocessor?"
16 March Michele Luchetti, “The mismeasure of intelligence: Clarifying quantification issues in 19th century craniology"
23 March Samar Haidar on Roberts et al “Psychiatry Beyond the Brain"
30 March Anatolii Kozlov on models and sensory imagination in Monod’s allostery (or on narratives in experimental biology)
06 April Easter break
13 April Michaela Egli on pragmatic trials in clinical research
20 April Christian Sachse, « Évolution, fonction, vivant & espèce » [book chapter in French]
27 April Mathias Buri on biodiversity and values
04 May Lucie Cauwet on Frankish, “Illusionism as a Theory of Consciousness"
11 May Silvia De Cesare on progress in evolution
18 May Ainoa Solmo, topic TBA
25 May Mike Stuart and Brian McCloone on the use of counterpossibles in biology
Past Activities
- Program Fall Term 2019
- Program Fall Term 2018
- Program Spring Term 2018
- Program Fall Term 2017
- Program Spring Term 2017
- Program Fall Term 2016
- Program Spring Term 2016
- Program Fall Term 2015
- Program Spring Term 2015
- Program Fall Term 2014
- Workshop on Modelling, Experimenting and Simulating, July 27-28, University of Geneva
- Program Spring Term 2014
- Workshop on Organisms, Machines and Mechanisms, December 5-6, University of Geneva
- Program Fall Term 2013
- Program Spring Term 2013
- lgBIG getaway, December 14-15, 2012, Champex-d'en-Haut
- Program Fall Term 2012
Contact
If you are interested in the group, in attending the weekly meetings, or in presenting your own work at one of the meetings, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Marcel Weber
Département de Philosophie
Université de Genève
2, rue de Candolle
CH-1211 Genève 4
Tél.: +41.22.379.7050 (secrétariat)
Email: