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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 28/09/2026

This is the fifteenth contribution to the TC on the pursuitworthiness of experiments that @ennofischer.bsky.social & I have been editing for the EJPS. Find discussions of the geosciences, biology, physics, neuroscience & much more in the 📄s that have been published: link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 28/09/2026

In their 🆕📄, @alisabokulich.bsky.social & @mattbrewer.bsky.social argue that targeted observation practices in the #geosciences owe much to Peirce’s views on the economy of research, which are better understood as an account of the pursuitworthiness of #data 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPS

First page of the EJPS article titled "Pursuitworthy data collection in the geosciences: from Peirce’s economy of research to targeted observation" by Alisa Bokulich & Matthew Brewer.

Abstract
In the geosciences, field measurements are key sources of data, alongside more traditional laboratory experiments. Regardless of the data’s source, pursuitworthiness is arguably not just a question of the intrinsic merit of the knowledge produced, but also the value of that knowledge in light of limited resources (e.g., time, money, and labor). There is a long tradition of research on this issue in the geosciences, going back to the work of the pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. Motivated by his work as a government-funded geoscientist, Peirce developed a highly original theory of the “economy of research.” In this paper, we argue that Peirce’s views have been largely misunderstood, and offer an alternative interpretation of Peirce’s economy of research as an account of the pursuitworthiness of data. We argue that Peirce’s account is a forerunner of a current sophisticated data collection program in the geosciences, called targeted observation (or adaptive sampling), which is used to evaluate the pursuitworthiness of various possible measurements, experiments, or observations. We conclude by applying Peirce’s philosophical insights to assess the promise and limitations of targeted-observation programs in the geosciences today.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

PhilSci-Archive @philsci-archive.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

New on the Archive: Sullivan, Jacqueline and Panjwani, Saher (2026) The Pursuitworthiness of Team Science Collaborations in Translational Neuroscience. [Preprint] philsci-archive.pitt.edu/31003

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 09/09/2026

Fourteen down for the topical collection on the pursuitworthiness of experiments across the sciences that @ennofischer.bsky.social and I have been editing for EJPS. We’re almost there: be sure to take a look at the articles that are already available 👇📄 link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

061

Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 09/09/2026

Deciding when a new experimental system is worth developing is costly & challenging. Vallejos-Baccelliere offers a framework grounded in 3 exp. virtues: opening data domains, enabling fine-grained interventions & reducing theoretical dependence 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #histsci

First page of the EJPS article titled "Material networks, experimental virtues, and the pursuitworthiness of scientific experimentation" by Gabriel Vallejos-Baccelliere.

Abstract
Experimentation plays a central role in most contemporary science, but it is also a complex and resource-intensive activity. Hence, deciding when the development of an experimental system (ES) is worthy of pursuit is a non-trivial epistemic and practical challenge. This paper offers a framework for understanding both the enabling conditions and criteria for the pursuitworthiness of ESs in experiment-intensive sciences. First, it analyzes how ESs are embedded within historically evolving material networks of experimentation, whose viability depends on the availability of standardized components, auxiliary procedures, generic instruments, and well-characterized specimens. Second, it examines the internal causal architecture of experimental systems by distinguishing between technical objects, reliable and stable elements used to manipulate phenomena, and epistemic objects, whose partially unknown properties motivate experimental inquiry. In this context, establishing the feasibility of a new ES typically requires proofs-of-concept using well-characterized specimens that act as generic carriers of epistemic objects. Third, the paper explores the role of theory in shaping experimental practice, determining relevance criteria, and enabling the extrapolation of knowledge from laboratory to broader theoretical domains. Finally, it argues that the pursuitworthiness of developing a new ES requires developing a framework in terms of experimental virtues. Three such virtues will be analyzed: the potential of an experimental system to open or expand data domains, to enable fine-grained causal interventions, and to reduce theoretical dependence in epistemic access to phenomena.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Adrian Currie @adrian-currie.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide, edited by the inestimable @phieveigl.bsky.social (and me!), has 27 chapters from super-cool philosophers of science explaining how they do their thing, and is now open access! Our baby is free! #philsci direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edi...

direct.mit.edu

Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide

A guidebook to methods and methodology, encouraging deeper engagement across the philosophy of science and beyond.The last twenty years have seen multiple

414873

Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 26/08/2026

This is the thirteenth article from the TC on the pursuitworthiness of experiments across the sciences that @ennofischer.bsky.social & I have been editing over the past year. The collection is almost complete - do check out the contributions already available! link.springer.com/collections/... #HPS

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 26/08/2026

In their new 📃, Ryan O’Loughlin & @danvisioni.bsky.social advance a set of heuristics for assessing the pursuitworthiness of small-scale solar geoengineering field experiments in response to shifting modeling priorities & ethico-political considerations 👇 🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci

The first page of a journal article from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science, titled "When are small-scale field experiments in solar geoengineering worth pursuing?" by Ryan O'Loughlin and Daniele Visioni, published in 2026.

Abstract

We propose a set of heuristics—scientific rigor, safety, usefulness, engagement, and transparency—for assessing the pursuitworthiness of small-scale field experiments in solar geoengineering research. Rather than offering a fixed logic of pursuit, we emphasize that these heuristics should operate as part of a dynamic and iterative evaluative process within the solar geoengineering research community, responsive to changing modeling priorities, new data, and shifting ethical and political landscapes. We argue that such experiments must be understood within the broader context of climate modeling research, where their primary role is to improve model components and identify further uncertainties. Our analysis assumes, rather than argues for, the pursuitworthiness of solar geoengineering research as a whole. However, we conclude this work by revisiting the overarching question of whether solar geoengineering research itself is worth pursuing; we argue that accounts that focus on how research governance can reduce bias and build stable scientific norms offer a more promising route than appeals to urgency or “moonshot” missions. Overall, we provide a structured framework, situated within scientific practice, that can help determine which field experiments are worth undertaking and why.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Stephan Hartmann @stephanhartmann.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

How do we establish reliable medical knowledge in the age of AI, big data, and evidence-based medicine? Looking forward to The Epistemology of Medicine workshop (25–26 June, Munich), bringing together philosophers, statisticians, and medical researchers for two days of interdisciplinary discussion.

philosophie.lmu.de

The Epistemology of Medicine

Detail page of an event

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

An der @tudresden.bsky.social ist im Institut für Philosophie zum 01.10.2026 eine Stelle als wiss. Mitarbeiterin bzw. Mitarbeiter (m/w/d) *unbefristet* zu besetzen. Hier ist die Ausschreibung: www.verw.tu-dresden.de/StellAus/ste... tu-dresden.de/gsw/phil/iphil

tu-dresden.de

Institut Startseite

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Beate Krickel @beakr.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

We have a great interdisciplinary MA program at TU Berlin! Check it out and spread the word! #philosophie #geschichte #literatur #studieren #Berlin Theory and History of Science and Technology (MA-TGWT) www.tu.berlin/en/hpstl/stu...

tu.berlin

Study Theory and History of Science and Technology at TU Berlin!

Science and Technology through the lens of Philosophy, History and Literature

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 28/05/2026

This 📄 belongs to the TC on the pursuitworthiness of experiments I am currently co-editing with @ennofischer.bsky.social and is the eleventh contribution showcasing perspectives from different natural and social sciences on how experimental research is assessed: link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 28/05/2026

How would #psychology look through the lens of @michelamassimi.bsky.social's Perspectival Realism? In her new paper, Suilin Lavelle defends the pursuit of Majority World psychological frameworks and experiments beyond WEIRD biases 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #philsky #psysky #cogsci

Opening page of a 2026 European Journal for Philosophy of Science article titled “The pursuitworthiness of majority world psychology,” by Jane Suilin Lavelle.

Abstract
The recent pluralist turn in philosophy of science claims that we ought to support and maintain multiple epistemic frameworks for learning about phenomena. This position is especially clear in Massimi’s Perspectival Realism, which argues that it is only by having more than one perspective on a phenomenon that the potential for reliable knowledge about it emerges. This paper applies Perspectival Realism to the case of psychology—with a focus on developmental psychology—arguing first, that the discipline has pursued frameworks almost exclusively within a Minority World perspective, and second, that the lack of alternative perspectives precludes the field from knowing if its methods of knowledge production are reliable. To redress this problem, it advocates the pursuit of Majority World psychological frameworks, and points towards ways in which this could be achieved.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 12/05/2026

It is publication day for The Organism-Environment Pairing (@mitpress.bsky.social)! This 📗 has been deeply formative for me as a scholar, and it owes so much to so many wonderful people. I truly hope it finds many readers! mitpress.mit.edu/978026205282... #booksky #philsci #histsci #philsky #evosky

Photograph of the book The Organism–Environment Pairing: A Historical and Philosophical Reappraisal (MIT Press, 2026) displayed on a small wooden easel. The green cover features multicolored title text and an image of a monarch butterfly resting on pink milkweed flowers, layered over a larger pale-green butterfly silhouette. The spine, visible at an angle, repeats the title and author’s name, Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda. Softly blurred purple-and-white flowers appear in the background.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

RUB History & Philosophy of Science @roto-rub.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Interested in herbaria, plants and digitization? Come work with us! 3 PhD & Postdoc Positions in History & Phil. of Biology & Digital Humanities! #ERC Project BOTLEG; @ruhr-uni-bochum.de! Deadline: 25 May '26 #HistSci #PhilSci #HPBio #EnvHist #DigitalHumanities #AcademicSky #PhDSky Details below 👇

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 10/04/2026

This is the tenth article from the topical collection that Enno Fischer (@ennofischer.bsky.social) and I are editing for EJPS. Take this chance to browse the other papers that have been published and stay in the loop for the remaining additions to the collection! 👇 link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 10/04/2026

Unconventional experiments that later redefine what counts as 'pursuitworthy' are excluded by strict standards. Szymon Miłkoś suggests that we need “transformative” standards: judge risky research by how well it turns intuitions into shareable norms 📄👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPS #philsci

Article header from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science (2026), labeled “Paper in Philosophy of Science in Practice.” The title, “Pursuitworthiness of breakthrough experiments: transforming emerging intuitions into established norms,” appears in bold above the author Szymon Miłkoś (with ORCID icon).

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 20/03/2026

This is the ninth article to appear in the topical collection that @ennofischer.bsky.social and I are editing on the pursuitworthiness of experiments across a wide range of sciences: link.springer.com/collections/... More exciting papers are forthcoming, so watch this space!

link.springer.com

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 20/03/2026

Big Biology strains common accounts of pursuitworthiness. @parvathi.bsky.social & Arrabito argue that these projects blend inquiry, infrastructure development & community platforms and propose a new framework to capture how scientists assess their value👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPBio #HPS

Article header from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science (2026), showing the title “What makes big biology worth pursuing? New dimensions of scientific value,” by Parvathi Vijay and Ignazio Arrabito. A grey banner labels it “Paper in Philosophy of Science in Practice,” with DOI, submission dates, and a “Check for updates” icon on the right.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 16/03/2026

In their new 📄, van Panhuys and Jadreškić argue that technical review in high-energy physics functions as a collective mechanism for managing epistemic risk. They show how deliberation over non-epistemic values shapes experimental pursuitworthiness 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPS

Header of an article in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science (2026, volume 16, article 19), categorized as “Paper in Philosophy of Science in Practice,” titled "Inductive risk meets engineering risk: Error management and pursuitworthiness in collider physics," authored by Marianne van Panhuys and Daria Jadrėškė, with DOI, submission and acceptance dates, and the journal’s standard layout visible.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 16/03/2026

This is the eighth article published in the TC on the pursuitworthiness of experiments across different scientific disciplines that @ennofischer.bsky.social & I are assembling for EJPS. Check out the other available papers and stay tuned for upcoming contributions! link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

032

Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 02/02/2026

This is the sixth article from the TC that @ennofischer.bsky.social & I are editing for EJPS and it's a special one. Enno sets the stage for the other contributions by showing why the pursuitworthiness of experiments merits philosophical reflection in its own right. link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 02/02/2026

How to decide whether to pursue an experiment? @ennofischer.bsky.social articulates the "context of pursuit" for experiments, in which facilities, research questions, expected gain & feasibility help determine what experiments are worth doing👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #philsky #HPS

Promotional image announcing the publication of a paper in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science. The article, classified as a “Paper in General Philosophy of Science,” is titled The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments and is authored by Enno Fischer. The image also shows the journal name, publication details (2026, volume 16, issue 5), DOI information, the author’s name with ORCID icon, and the submission and acceptance dates.

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Stefano Canali @stefanocanali.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

New paper, the first of 2026, and it's a big one! 📗Evidence-based medicine and the promises and limits of digital health and wearable technology, out in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #philsky #philsci #histsci

sciencedirect.com

Evidence-based medicine and the promises and limits of digital health and wearable technology

New approaches to biomedical evidence are emerging in relation to innovative technologies and data sources. These include digital health, which promis…

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 26/01/2026

This is the fifth article from the TC that @ennofischer.bsky.social & I are currently editing for the EJPS! A critical mass of papers is accruing, and we still have fantastic theoretical contributions and case studies from a range of sciences in the pipeline! link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

051

Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 26/01/2026

In her latest 📃, HyeJeong Han argues that in regulatory science (e.g., 💊 regulation), economic considerations shape decisions to halt experimentation. She shows how costs become integrated into evidential standards & impact institutionalized judgments👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPS

Promotional image announcing the publication of a paper in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science. The article, classified under “Philosophy of the Biomedical Sciences,” is titled “When to recommend no experiment? Drug regulation and the institutional shaping of pursuitworthiness” and is authored by HyeJeong Han.

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 02/12/2025

This is the fourth article published in the Topical Collection that @ennofischer.bsky.social and I are editing for EJPS: "The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences" (link.springer.com/collections/...). More exciting articles are coming soon—don’t miss what’s next! #philsci #histsci

link.springer.com

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 02/12/2025

In his latest paper, Jamie Shaw discusses the pursuitworthiness of different types of Big Science—normal, revolutionary & socially oriented—with attention to funding allocation mechanisms, risks, benefits, pluralism & social responsibility 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPS #metasci #philsky

Screenshot of the header of a journal article from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science. The article is labeled as a ‘Paper in Philosophy of Science in Practice’ and is titled "Funding big science: managing diversity, social responsibility, and limited resources." The author is Jamie Shaw, with an ORCID icon displayed.

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 25/11/2025

This paper is the third contribution to the TC @ennofischer.bsky.social and I are editing for EJPS: link.springer.com/collections/... So far articles covering high-energy physics, neurolinguistics & sex-related biomedical research have been published! Stay tuned—more exciting pieces are on the way!

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 25/11/2025

In her new 📃, Marina DiMarco analyzes the NIH’s Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) policy in the context of exploratory inquiry & confirmatory experimentation, arguing that it offers important reflections on pursuitworthiness judgments 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPbio #HPS

Screenshot of the header of a journal article from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science (2025), article 15:71. The article is categorized under “Paper in the Philosophy of the Biomedical Sciences” and is titled “Sex as a biological variable and the pursuitworthiness of exploratory inquiry,” authored by Marina DiMarco, with an ORCID icon beside the name.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 07/11/2025

This paper is the second addition to the TC @ennofischer.bsky.social & I are editing for EJPS: link.springer.com/collections/... Stay posted for more exciting articles in the pipeline covering pursuitworthiness criteria across the sciences and general theoretical pieces reflecting on these issues!

link.springer.com

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 07/11/2025

What makes a neurolinguistics experiment worth pursuing? Nevia Dolcini & colleagues propose two axes of pursuitworthiness standing in an asymmetric relationship: methodological (thresholds for epistemic adequacy) & pragmatic (contextual priorities) 👇📃 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPS

Screenshot of the article header from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science titled “The pursuitworthiness of experiments in neurolinguistics” by Nevia Dolcini, Bernard A. J. Jap, Chan Wa Kun and
Stephen Politzer-Ahles. The header indicates it is a paper in philosophy of science in practice. The DOI is https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-025-00691-z

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Apply to join a team of wonderful colleagues at Philosophy at TU Dresden. I am advertising a 2-year PostDoc position in philosophy of science/philosophy of physics as part of the DFG project 'Progress through Principles', deadline 03.11.2025. Details: tinyurl.com/493dffby #philsci #philsky

At the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Institute of Philosophy, the Junior Professorship in Philosophy of Science (Jun.-Prof. Dr. Enno Fischer) offers a position as

Research Associate / PostDoc (m/f/x)

in Philosophy of Science / Philosophy of Physics

(subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L)

starting at the earliest possible date. The position is limited to 2 years. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG). The position offers the chance to obtain further academic qualification (usually preparation of habilitation thesis). The position is part of the DFG project "Progress through Principles: An Epistemology of Foundational Assumptions Guiding Contemporary Physics" which examines the heuristic role of guiding principles in foundational physics. Further information about the project is available at https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/phil/iphil/phisci/forschung.

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 15/10/2025

This paper is the first to be published in the Topical Collection “The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences,” which @ennofischer.bsky.social and I are editing for EJPS. Stay tuned for more exciting contributions spanning a wide range of sciences! 👇🔖 link.springer.com/collections/...

link.springer.com

The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences

The concept of pursuitworthiness has garnered considerable attention in the philosophy of science in recent years. However, philosophical reflections on the ...

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 15/10/2025

Physicists have long been enamored with “beautiful” models—but this seems to have changed in high-energy physics. In his new paper, Martin King argues that experimental contexts strongly determine the pursuitworthiness of “ugly models” 👇📃 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #philphysics #HPS

Screenshot of the article header from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science titled “Experiment and the pursuit of ugly models” by Martin King. The header indicates it is a paper in philosophy of the natural sciences. The DOI is https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-025-00692-y

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Standards like 'A4 paper' make life easier, but some situations call for custom solutions. Our new article explores the tension between rigidity and flexibility in 'epistemic' standards—rules for what we can justifiably claim to know. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #philsci #philsky

tandfonline.com

Flexible or Rigid? A Functionalist Approach to Epistemic Standards

Epistemic standards have attracted some attention in recent discussions in social epistemology and philosophy of science. Yet these discussions typically lack a more general approach to what standa...

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 18/07/2025

“Traits” are central units of biological analysis—but how should they be individuated, and relative to which ontogenetic frame of reference? In my new paper, I argue that answering this isn’t easy—and matters more than it seems. 📃👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPBio #evosky #evodevo

Screenshot of a journal article titled "Two ontogenetic challenges to trait individuation" by Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda, published in Synthese (2025) 205:219. The abstract reads: "Trait individuation is an epistemically indispensable and heuristically fruitful practice in biological science. However, important ontological issues transcend an epistemology-only reading of what trait individuation entails (e.g., adaptation and homology), prompting scholars to advance models and frameworks to grapple with this problem. Here, I articulate two challenges that arise when advancing theories and frameworks to tackle trait individuation: the synchronicity and the diachronicity challenges. The synchronicity challenge involves specifying the traits an organism has at a given moment in ontogeny, whereas the diachronicity challenge involves understanding the causal processes that drive trait individuation in development and tracing these units across time. To delve deeper, I introduce extant functionalist and structuralist perspectives on trait individuation and evaluate how they address both challenges. Overcoming these challenges is necessary for such accounts to fulfill their theoretical promise of individuating the traits that organisms have in an ontologically sound way."

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

How do economic concepts relate to the promise of foundational research? In our new paper, we propose an account of scientific pursuitworthiness that spells out talk of 'costs' and 'benefits' in terms of theoretical virtues. link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #philsky #HPS

link.springer.com

Rationally warranted promise: the virtue-economic account of pursuit-worthiness - Synthese

Pursuing a scientific idea is often justified by the promise associated with it. Philosophers of science have proposed various ways of unpacking this idea of promise, including more specific indicator...

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Apply to join a team of wonderful colleagues at Philosophy at TU Dresden. I am advertising a 3-year PhD position in philosophy of science/philosophy of physics as part of the DFG project 'Progress through Principles', deadline 28.06.2024. For details: tinyurl.com/3eb2f667 #philsci #philsky

Job ad for position in DFG project: "Progress through Principles: An Epistemology of Foundational Assumptions Guiding Contemporary Physics"

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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 05/05/2025

What makes a particular #experiment 'pursuitworthy'? Do criteria differ across scientific fields? @ennofischer.bsky.social & I have extended the deadline for submissions to our topical collection on these issues. Please help us spread the word! 👇 tu-dresden.de/gsw/phil/iph... #philsci #philsky #HPS

Call for papers announcement from the European Journal for Philosophy of Science, published by Springer. The special issue is titled 'The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences,' with guest editors Enno Fischer (TU Dresden) and Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda (KU Leuven). The new deadline for submissions is 30 June 2025.

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Axel Gelfert @agelfert.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

New GWP (German Soc for Phil of Sci) Executive Committee (2025-28), left to right: Michael Jungert (Managing Director), Enno Fischer (Treasurer), Lena Kästner (Vice President), Mathias Frisch, Anna Leuschner, Axel Gelfert (President). (Not pictured: Simon Friederich, JGPS representative) #philsci 👍

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

How do physical principles develop? We show that there are 5 processes: prehistory, elevation, formalization, generalization and challenge. For some principles these work better than for others. What does that tell us about such principles? See here: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #PhilSci

link.springer.com

The life cycle of scientific principles—a template for characterizing physical principles - Synthese

Scientific principles can undergo various developments. While philosophers of science have acknowledged that such changes occur, there is no systematic account of the development of scientific princip...

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Reposted by Enno Fischer

Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Call for Papers for special issue of @epsaphilsci.bsky.social on “The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments Across the Sciences” Guest Editors: @ennofischer.bsky.social & @afabregastejeda.bsky.social Deadline: 30 April 2025 #PhilSci

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Enno Fischer @ennofischer.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Whence the heuristic power of physical guiding principles such as correspondence and naturalness? In this article I argue that it arises from the way guiding principles integrate principles of nature and action principles. #philsci #philsky #Physics link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.com

Guiding principles in physics - European Journal for Philosophy of Science

Guiding principles are central to theory development in physics, especially when there is only limited empirical input available. Here I propose an approach to such principles looking at their heurist...

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