98928 - Philosophy of Biology (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have a concise, but as complete as possible, picture of the most relevant elements that emerged in the philosophy of science from the end of the Nineteenth century to the present day with particular emphasis on themes developed in the biological and life sciences, also from the point of view of the several interdisciplinary interactions involving them. The knowledge acquired will also cover the main notions of biological world in relation to the most important philosophical and epistemological debates that have been developed over the last century and to the contemporary ones.

Course contents

The first part of the course – Weeks #1-#2 – will provide an introduction to the core topics discussed in philosophy of biology, starting from the key questions raised by Darwin's theory of evolution concerning adaptation, selection, species, and function. These questions will be tackled both from a philosophical and biological perspective, drawing on the interdisciplinary work of philosophers and biologists such as Dennett (1995) and Gould (2006). The midterm week (#3) will be devoted to the topic of cultural evolution, which will work as a transition to the second part of the course (Weeks #4-#5). The second part of the course will delve deeper into a much-debated topic in contemporary biology and philosophy of biology, namely the one surrounding the notions of sex and gender. Lectures and class discussions will combine insights coming from the history of science (Schiebinger 2004), philosophy of science (Lloyd 2005), gender studies (Fausto-Sterling 2012), up to more recent debates in philosophy of biology concerning essentialism, realism, and anti-realism with respect to biological sex (Griffiths 2020; Watkins 2024; Watkins & DiMarco 2024).

No prior knowledge in philosophy of biology is required: the course will include a brief introduction to philosophy of science for students coming from Biological Sciences, or for students of Philosophy who have not taken philosophy of science classes.

The final syllabus, including the complete list of readings and assignments, will be provided on the first day of class and then uploaded on Virtuale.

Readings/Bibliography

 Required readings:

Okasha, S. (2019). Philosophy of Biology. Cambridge Elements.

Darwin, C. (1859). The Origin of Species. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Dennett, D. (1995). Darwin's Dangerous Idea. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Gould, S. J. (2018). Bully for Brontosaurus. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Dawkins, R. (1974). The Selfish Gene. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Additional readings

Schiebinger, L. (2004). Nature’s Body: Gender in the Making of Modern Science. Rutgers University Press. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Lloyd, E. (2005). The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution. Harvard University Press. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Fausto-Sterling, A. (2012). Sex/Gender: Biology in a Social World. Routledge. The relevant excerpts will be made available on Virtuale.

Griffiths, P. (2020). The existence of biological sex is no constraint on human diversity. AEON. The paper will be uploaded to Virtuale.

De Waal, F. (2023). Different: What Apes Can Teach Us About Gender. Granta Books.

Watkins, A. (2024). Androcentrism in biological typing. Hypatia. The paper will be uploaded to Virtuale.

Watkins, A. & DiMarco, M. (2024). Sex eliminativism. Biology & Philosophy. The paper will be uploaded to Virtuale.

The final syllabus, including the complete list of readings and assignments, will be provided on the first day of class and then uploaded to Virtuale.

Teaching methods

I am committed to making this class an interactive, fruitful, and effective learning experience.

This a discussion-based class, where more traditional – but still interactive – lectures will be complemented by debates, exchange of ideas, class presentations, and a wide range of in-class and take-home activities. Special attention will be devoted to the development of core philosophical skills such as reading, writing, and debating through the discussion of the class topics. More details on class format will be introduced during the first day of class, part of which will be devoted to the illustration of the teaching methodology.

Assessment methods

For students attending the course, the final grade will result from the following three components:

a) Participation in the in-class activities, including the submission of mini-assignments throughout the course. If class size allows, the in-class activities may include student presentations (20%);

b) Written exam to be taken in class after the end of the course according to the exam schedule (see below). The exam will include 4-5 open-ended questions with a word limit for each: each question will be designed to test understanding of the material as well as the degree of elaboration through the production of original examples, analysis of a case study, taking sides in a philosophical debate, and so on (50%);

c) Brief oral exam (approximately 15 minutes), aimed at exploring one of the topics covered in the second part of the course. The topic will be chosen by the student and communicated to the instructor at the beginning of the oral exam (30%).

Students who are not attending the course will be assessed on the basis of b) and c) with the following grade distribution: written exam (50%), oral exam (50%).

Excellent grades (28-30, A equivalent) will be assigned to students who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the material discussed in class, critical thinking and analytical skills, and the ability to express concepts clearly and convincingly. Average to good grades (23-27, B equivalent) will be assigned to students who exhibit good understanding of the material but fall short of conceptual elaboration and/or connections among the topics discussed throughout the course – e.g., they present the material piecemeal but fail to see how it hangs together. Students who exhibit superficial knowledge, gaps in preparation, poor critical and analytical skills will receive average to low grades (18-22, C equivalent). Severe gaps in one or more of the areas listed above can result in a failing grade (below 18, D or F equivalent).

Exam sessions
During the 2025/2026 academic year, exam sessions will be scheduled in the following months: June, July, September, October, January, March

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities. Please do not contact the instructor, but get in touch with the University Service directly to determine the appropriate adjustments. The Service will then determine what adjustments are appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page: http://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti  

Students should contact the University Service in advance: any proposed adjustment must be submitted at least 15 days before the exam for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate the appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

I will avail myself of a wide range of tools to support teaching and facilitate participation while acknowledging a variety of learning styles. Besides PowerPoint and Prezi, I will use paper handouts as well as software such as Slido, Kahoot, and Wooclap.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Petrolini