The quest for good explanations

The quest for good explanations

I often tell people that if I didn’t have to work for a living, I would still be doing what I’m doing. It is an unbelievable privilege to be an academic scientist, paid to work on your passion, to follow up on your curiosity, to inspire and be inspired by generations of graduate students and post-docs that pass through your lab. So how did I end up being a scientist, doing what I love for a liv...

Contra Epstein, Good Explanations Predict

Epstein has argued that an explanation's capacity to make predictions should play a minor role in its evaluation . This view contradicts centuries of scientific practice and, at least, decades of philosophy of science. We argue that the view is not only unfounded but seems to arise from a mistaken fear that ABM models are in need of defense against the criticism that they don't necessarily fore...

Conservation physiology and the quest for a ‘good’ Anthropocene

It has been proposed that we are now living in a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene, which is specifically defined by the impacts that humans are having on the Earth's biological diversity and geology. Although the proposal of this term was borne out of an acknowledgement of the negative changes we are imparting on the globe (e.g. climate change, pollution, coastal erosion, species ...

the quest for an hiv vaccine

the search for the self in becketts theatre: waiting for godot and endgame

this thesis is based upon the works of samuel beckett. one of the greatest writers of contemporary literature. here, i have tried to focus on one of the main themes in becketts works: the search for the real "me" or the real self, which is not only a problem to be solved for beckett man but also for each of us. i have tried to show becketts techniques in approaching this unattainable goal, base...