Philosophical and social dimensions of microbiology. (360G-Wellcome-079751_Z_06_Z)

Title of meeting: Philosophical and social dimensions of microbiology The last decade of microbiological research has seen new investigative approaches and a vast body of genomic data transform theoretical understandings of microbial interaction, evolution and biodiversity. This workshop will explore the philosophical implications of these extraordinary developments within a broader historical context and, in the process, make steps towards constructing a research agenda for future philosophical and social studies of microbiology. The papers and discussions will be structured so that the workshop culminates in a final session designed to initiate ongoing exploration of the ethical, legal and other social issues that arise out of philosophical understandings of microbiology and microbes. Presentations and discussions will address the following themes: - General conceptual issues in microbiology (with a focus on the prokaryote-eukaryote distinction, and symbiosis) - Microbiology, biochemistry and genetics and their merger in the early 1900s - Genomic innovations in microbiology - The microbial world and evolutionary contingency - Cognition, sociobacteriology, and natural genetic engineering in bacteria - Epistemological issues in microbiology (with a focus on alternative biospheres) - The impact of microbiology on the philosophy of biology - Ethical, legal and social issues revealed by philosophical analyses of microbiology Possible future developments (e.g.: in microbial bioremediation)