Biological Explanation – Systems, Levels and Causes

Conference: Biological Explanation - Systems, Levels and Causes

Call for abstracts

The three-day conference “Biological Explanation – Systems, Levels and Causes" will take place in Oslo, December 10.-12., 2009. The conference is a collaboration between the new Nordic project PSBio (Philosophical Foundations for Systems Biology) and the Seminar in Science Studies at the University of Oslo.

One focus will be “Perspectives on Systems Biology” under which we aim to bring philosophical, historical, and biological perspectives together in understanding the emergence of system approaches in biology.

A second focus will be “Levels, Reduction and Causes” where we plan for a discussion on levels of explanation, and how different understandings of levels relate to questions of scientific reduction and causation in biology.

Some slots are open for contributed papers, and we welcome submissions from philosophers, biologists, statisticians and others on the above themes. If you would like to present a paper at the conference, please submit an abstract of max 500 words to gry.oftedal@ifikk.uio.no by Oct 12,2009.

For contributed talks we will be able to reimburse up to 3000 NOK approximately 345 Euro) for travel and accommodation expenses against receipts.

More information: PSBio