On epigenetics 6 Apr 2009 Here is an interesting discussion of a recent paper on the operational and theoretical definitions of “epigenetics”. This term – which has a deep history, well before genetics – is interpreted in every manner from inherited histone patterns on chromosomes to parental investment and extrasomatic inheritance. The authors of the discussed paper go towards the former extreme, while Eva Jablonka goes for the other. It’s always fun to see scientists arguing over terms. Uncategorized
Uncategorized New entry on Mach in Stanford Encyclopedia 21 May 2008 Ernst Mach is one of the more interesting of the nineteenth century polymaths. A physicist, he also kicked off positivism, and (I did not previously know) was an evolutionary epistemologist: Mach is part of the empiricist tradition, but he also believed in an a priori. But it is a biologized… Read More
Uncategorized Yet Another Philosophy of Science Blog… 19 Mar 2009 But this one’s going to be huge. The Sydney Centre for the Foundations of Science has a new group blog. [How do I know? I set it up.] It will act as a clearing house for events and ideas at what has become a very large concentration of HPS types… Read More
Uncategorized Irony is alive 20 Mar 2008 PZ Mydfgsers tried to see Expelled, Ben Stein’s silly film about ID. He was asked to leave by some uniformed guard or policeman, as the producers had him on a Watch List or something. They let his family, and guest in, though. The guest was Richard Dawkins… Read More