Thomas Pradeu and Brian Epstein, winners of the 2015 and 2016 Lakatos Awards, will deliver this year’s Lakatos Award Lectures on 9 November.

Thomas Pradeau is a Senior Investigator in Philosophy of Science at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), he was awarded the 2015 Lakatos Award for his book The Limits of the Self: Immunology and Biological Identity. The book was praised by the Award Selectors as “a profound examination of the ways in which our current understanding of the immune system can shed light on the metaphysical questions of identity and selfhood.” Dr Pradeau’s lecture is titled “Why Philosophy in Science? Re-Visiting Immunology and Biological Individuality”.

Brian Epstein, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University, was awarded the 2016 Lakatos Award for his book The Ant Trap: Rebuilding the Foundations of the Social Sciences. The Ant Trap was rated as “an extremely serious and significant book, as good a treatment of the metaphysics of the social world as there is, by some way.” Dr Epstein’s lecture is titled “Rebuilding the Foundations of the Social Sciences”.

The lectures will take place 6–8pm in the Old Theatre. They are free to attend and do not require registration. The lectures will be followed by a public award ceremony.

 

Further information