Philosophical implications of multispecies research: From mechanisms to networks

Speaker: Javier Suárez, LOGOS / BIAP, University of Barcelona

Abstract

This talk will analyse the philosophical implications derived from the different modelling techniques that biologists working on the study of the behaviour and the evolution of multispecies systems (microbiome, holobiont) have developed. It will put special emphasis on the use of network modelling as an alternative to mechanistic modelling. The talk will explore specifically two dimensions of the research on multispecies systems: First, how this type of research, and its emphasis on the use of networks, affects our way of understanding the nature of scientific modelling; second, what are the ontological implications of this new view of scientific modelling.