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Life of the Cell: Philosophy and History of Cell Research

Event: Workshop
Date: 23 Apr 2009 00:00
Start date: 23 Apr 2009 00:00
End date: 24 Apr 2009 00:00


Organised by:

ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society (Egenis)

Funded by the British Academy and Egenis

Venue:

University of Exeter,
Egenis,
Byrne House,
St Germans Road,
Exeter, EX4 4PJ

Room no: GF7, Byrne House

About the workshop

On April 23rd and 24th, 2009, at Egenis, University of Exeter, UK, a number of issues related to cells and cell biology will be investigated from historical, philosophical and scientific perspectives.

Topics include:

• The cell as the epistemic and ontological unit of life
• The evolution of cells and modes of cellular organization
• Multicellular and symbiotic cell collectives in relation to cellular autonomy
• Connections between cell biology and contemporary systems biology
• Plant, fungi and insect cells that pose questions for standard cell theory

Details of speakers
Keynote

• William Bechtel (Philosophy, University of California, San Diego)
  The Cell: Locus or object of inquiry?
• Thomas Cavalier-Smith (Zoology, University of Oxford)
  The evolution of cells: Real history is messy and non-Platonic
• Ohad Parnes (Zentrum für Literaturforschung, Berlin)
  Agents as cells: Conceptual & historical perspectives
• Andrew Reynolds (Philosophy and Religious Studies, Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia)
  The redoubtable cell
  

Speakers (Egenis, University of Exeter)

• John Bryant and Steve Hughes: Plant form: Cell differentiation with and without walls

Commentators

• Sabine Brauckmann (Science Centre, Tartu University, Estonia)
• John Dupré (Egenis, University of Exeter)
  
• Pierre-Olivier Méthot (Egenis, University of Exeter) 
• Staffan Müller-Wille (Egenis, University of Exeter)
• Dan Nicholson (Egenis, University of Exeter)
• Maureen O’Malley (Egenis, University of Exeter)
  
   Life of the Cell workshop programme and abstracts (pdf)

           Life of the Cell Pre-Workshop Reading List  (pdf)

Further details: Places for this workshop are now fully booked. If registered participants have any questions or need assistance please contact:

Saira Kidangan,
Egenis Secretary
Byrne House,
University of Exeter
St Germans Road,
Exeter, EX4 4PJ, UK

Email: S.V.Kidangan@ex.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1392 269140

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