This group consists of a multidisciplinary team focused in the field of Philosophy of Life Sciences and concerning two research lines (RL): Bioethics and Philosophy of Biology.
Bioethics: This RL develops multidisciplinary research on Bioethics applied to Medicine, in particular the philosophical reasons, principles and ethical problems raised by palliative care. The main goal is to explore the multiple dimensions of the ethical debate around the question of suffering and the end of life. The philosophical foundations, principles and ethical problems, a comprehensive updated review on the management of pain, the main areas of the symptomatic control, communication, bereavement, family support, teamwork and multidisciplinary service organization, are some research topics of this RL. The work will be done by theoretical research, by offering advanced training and also through the support to be given to Master and PhD thesis. This RL will coordinate 3 Master courses at the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon in Bioethics, Palliative Care, and Pain Science.
Philosophy of Biology: Although techniques and methods of descriptive and experimental biology have evolved dramatically in recent years, generating a flood of highly detailed empirical data, the theoretical and conceptual integration of these results has lagged behind. Since Darwin, natural selection is seen as the primary cause of evolution. During the 20thcentury, Darwin's followers formalized natural selection mathematically and redefined it as differential survival and reproduction, entrenched as the universal cause of evolution. However, new approaches to evolution have arisen to fill the gaps in our understanding of some of the major questions still open to biology. Bringing bacteria and viruses into evolutionary framework has entailed vital changes to evolutionary theory. Biologists start realizing that there are other major driving forces capable of producing emergent novelties that cause evolution. We aim to explore the epistemological implications of these new evolutionary theories, especially the very concept of evolution. In particular, we will give special attention to symbiogenesis, how it originated, was structured and developed, to its epistemological proposals and consequences for neo-Darwinism assumptions and also for Darwin's tree of life. We will also continue to focus on the evolution of man, especially discussing relevant advancements in this area, from grooming to the emergence of symbolic thinking, encompassing studies of different methodological approaches and contributions.
Universidade de Lisboa
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa
Evolução e Conhecimento Científico. Tradução de André Levy do excerto de D. J. Futuyma, "Scientific Knowledge", in Science on Trial, pp. 163-172, Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, EUA, 1995. In: Helena Abreu; Francisco Carrapiço; André Levy; Marco Pina (Eds.) (2009), Evolucão. Conceitos e Debates, Colecção Fundamentos e Desafios do Evolucionismo, Lisboa: Esfera do Caos, 219 pp.
O que é o Darwinismo? Tradução de André Levy e Helena Abreu do texto de E. Mayr, "What is Darwinism?", in Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolucionist, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1988. In: Helena Abreu; Francisco Carrapiço; André Levy; Marco Pina (Eds.) (2009), Evolucão. Conceitos e Debates, Colecção Fundamentos e Desafios do Evolucionismo, Lisboa: Esfera do Caos, 219 pp.