Dialectical Systems
@dialecticalsys.bsky.social
A forum in Biology, Ecology and Cognitive Science
Materiality isn’t a backdrop to cognition, but one of its central conditions
The upcoming workshop “Habits, Tools, and Material Environments” examines how cognition is socially distributed, ecologically embedded, and enacted through material engagement
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
The upcoming workshop “Habits, Tools, and Material Environments” examines how cognition is socially distributed, ecologically embedded, and enacted through material engagement
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
November 14, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Materiality isn’t a backdrop to cognition, but one of its central conditions
The upcoming workshop “Habits, Tools, and Material Environments” examines how cognition is socially distributed, ecologically embedded, and enacted through material engagement
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
The upcoming workshop “Habits, Tools, and Material Environments” examines how cognition is socially distributed, ecologically embedded, and enacted through material engagement
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
40 years after The Dialectical Biologist, Richard Lewontin’s legacy still challenges how we think about life
A new report revisits his intertwining of philosophy, biology, and Marxism—and how organisms are subjects of their own evolution
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
A new report revisits his intertwining of philosophy, biology, and Marxism—and how organisms are subjects of their own evolution
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
November 13, 2025 at 11:26 AM
40 years after The Dialectical Biologist, Richard Lewontin’s legacy still challenges how we think about life
A new report revisits his intertwining of philosophy, biology, and Marxism—and how organisms are subjects of their own evolution
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
A new report revisits his intertwining of philosophy, biology, and Marxism—and how organisms are subjects of their own evolution
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
Very nice upcoming workshop at the Center for Philosophical Psychology (University of Antwerp) on how radical embodiment unfolds in complex, “wild” real-world environments.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
November 7, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Very nice upcoming workshop at the Center for Philosophical Psychology (University of Antwerp) on how radical embodiment unfolds in complex, “wild” real-world environments.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/works...
Marx as a philosophical biologist?
Chris Shambaugh on young Marx's account of organismal agency, its relation to human life to the critique of capitalism.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Chris Shambaugh on young Marx's account of organismal agency, its relation to human life to the critique of capitalism.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
November 6, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Marx as a philosophical biologist?
Chris Shambaugh on young Marx's account of organismal agency, its relation to human life to the critique of capitalism.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Chris Shambaugh on young Marx's account of organismal agency, its relation to human life to the critique of capitalism.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
➡️New article out⬅️
@leonardobich.bsky.social and @lauramenatti.bsky.social
argue that health is not about balance or stability, but about adapting and transforming in response to changing circumstances — the capacity for adaptive change.
link.springer.com/journal/13752
@leonardobich.bsky.social and @lauramenatti.bsky.social
argue that health is not about balance or stability, but about adapting and transforming in response to changing circumstances — the capacity for adaptive change.
link.springer.com/journal/13752
October 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
➡️New article out⬅️
@leonardobich.bsky.social and @lauramenatti.bsky.social
argue that health is not about balance or stability, but about adapting and transforming in response to changing circumstances — the capacity for adaptive change.
link.springer.com/journal/13752
@leonardobich.bsky.social and @lauramenatti.bsky.social
argue that health is not about balance or stability, but about adapting and transforming in response to changing circumstances — the capacity for adaptive change.
link.springer.com/journal/13752
How does life emerge from nonlife?
New special issue of the Royal Transactions brings together leading thinkers on the origins of life—where chemistry meets information, and evolution unfolds through the “adjacent possible.”
dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
New special issue of the Royal Transactions brings together leading thinkers on the origins of life—where chemistry meets information, and evolution unfolds through the “adjacent possible.”
dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
October 8, 2025 at 9:36 AM
How does life emerge from nonlife?
New special issue of the Royal Transactions brings together leading thinkers on the origins of life—where chemistry meets information, and evolution unfolds through the “adjacent possible.”
dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
New special issue of the Royal Transactions brings together leading thinkers on the origins of life—where chemistry meets information, and evolution unfolds through the “adjacent possible.”
dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
📖 New Book Out
Alvaro Moreno & Juli Peretó explore the major transitions in biological agency—from origins of life to metazoans—showing how agency drives the evolution of biological complexity
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Alvaro Moreno & Juli Peretó explore the major transitions in biological agency—from origins of life to metazoans—showing how agency drives the evolution of biological complexity
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
October 3, 2025 at 7:31 AM
📖 New Book Out
Alvaro Moreno & Juli Peretó explore the major transitions in biological agency—from origins of life to metazoans—showing how agency drives the evolution of biological complexity
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Alvaro Moreno & Juli Peretó explore the major transitions in biological agency—from origins of life to metazoans—showing how agency drives the evolution of biological complexity
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Dialectical Biology Today: Legacies of Richard Lewontin
A hybrid conference bringing together voices old and new to revisit how The Dialectical Biologist still resonates, and reinvigorates, contemporary biology
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/diale...
A hybrid conference bringing together voices old and new to revisit how The Dialectical Biologist still resonates, and reinvigorates, contemporary biology
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/diale...
September 26, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Dialectical Biology Today: Legacies of Richard Lewontin
A hybrid conference bringing together voices old and new to revisit how The Dialectical Biologist still resonates, and reinvigorates, contemporary biology
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/diale...
A hybrid conference bringing together voices old and new to revisit how The Dialectical Biologist still resonates, and reinvigorates, contemporary biology
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/events/diale...
Dialectics meets the enactive approach!
Join us for Dialectics and the Embodied Mind
📍 Univ. of Luxembourg | Sept 22–23
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/inter...
Join us for Dialectics and the Embodied Mind
📍 Univ. of Luxembourg | Sept 22–23
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/inter...
September 15, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Dialectics meets the enactive approach!
Join us for Dialectics and the Embodied Mind
📍 Univ. of Luxembourg | Sept 22–23
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/inter...
Join us for Dialectics and the Embodied Mind
📍 Univ. of Luxembourg | Sept 22–23
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/inter...
Embodied & enactive approaches aren’t just about individual cognition — they’re about society.
A new Mind & Society special issue brings enactivism into conversation with ethics, social theory & political philosophy.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
A new Mind & Society special issue brings enactivism into conversation with ethics, social theory & political philosophy.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
June 10, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Embodied & enactive approaches aren’t just about individual cognition — they’re about society.
A new Mind & Society special issue brings enactivism into conversation with ethics, social theory & political philosophy.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
A new Mind & Society special issue brings enactivism into conversation with ethics, social theory & political philosophy.
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Can natural selection shape the ability to evolve?
New study shows bacteria evolving mutations that speed up adaptation—suggesting mutations are not purely random but can be biased toward adaptive outcomes
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
New study shows bacteria evolving mutations that speed up adaptation—suggesting mutations are not purely random but can be biased toward adaptive outcomes
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
March 21, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Can natural selection shape the ability to evolve?
New study shows bacteria evolving mutations that speed up adaptation—suggesting mutations are not purely random but can be biased toward adaptive outcomes
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
New study shows bacteria evolving mutations that speed up adaptation—suggesting mutations are not purely random but can be biased toward adaptive outcomes
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This new paper examines the concept of closure of constraints as a modeling tool. This interpretation clarifies the scope and applicability of biological autonomy, addressing common criticisms regarding the over-liberality of the framework
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
This new paper examines the concept of closure of constraints as a modeling tool. This interpretation clarifies the scope and applicability of biological autonomy, addressing common criticisms regarding the over-liberality of the framework
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
New OA paper by Charbel El-Hani et al. explores how living beings are individuated as causal systems via biological autonomy, with closure of constraints as a distinctively biological causal regime that defines system boundaries.
🔗 taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...
🔗 taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...
January 30, 2025 at 9:04 AM
New OA paper by Charbel El-Hani et al. explores how living beings are individuated as causal systems via biological autonomy, with closure of constraints as a distinctively biological causal regime that defines system boundaries.
🔗 taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...
🔗 taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-...
CFA: 1st International Conference on Anticipatory Systems & Rosennean Complexity
📅 May 22-23, 2025
📍 National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City
📝 Abstract Deadline: Feb 28, 2025
📢 Notification: Mar 10, 2025
🌐 anticipation.philcomp.org
January 22, 2025 at 11:05 AM
CFA: 1st International Conference on Anticipatory Systems & Rosennean Complexity
📅 May 22-23, 2025
📍 National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City
📝 Abstract Deadline: Feb 28, 2025
📢 Notification: Mar 10, 2025
🌐 anticipation.philcomp.org
New paper by @leonardobich.bsky.social and Bill Bechtel reappraising the original notion of homeostasis, as developed by Bernard and Cannon, beyond the restricted interpretation conveyed to us by cybernetics
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
January 7, 2025 at 9:07 AM
New paper by @leonardobich.bsky.social and Bill Bechtel reappraising the original notion of homeostasis, as developed by Bernard and Cannon, beyond the restricted interpretation conveyed to us by cybernetics
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
doi.org/10.1017/psa....
@leonardobich.bsky.social offers a fresh take on organizational accounts in theoretical biology, tracing their evolution from cybernetics & systems theory to autopoiesis and closure of constraints, with a groundbreaking view on regulation & biological control
www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
December 10, 2024 at 9:30 AM
@leonardobich.bsky.social offers a fresh take on organizational accounts in theoretical biology, tracing their evolution from cybernetics & systems theory to autopoiesis and closure of constraints, with a groundbreaking view on regulation & biological control
www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
Great paper by Yogi Jaeger, Denis Walsh et al.
A sweeping overview of the complex adaptive systems approach to organisms, arguing why their behavior & evolution defy computable models, while bridging open research issues in biology, cognitive science & AI
frontiersin.org/journals/psy...
A sweeping overview of the complex adaptive systems approach to organisms, arguing why their behavior & evolution defy computable models, while bridging open research issues in biology, cognitive science & AI
frontiersin.org/journals/psy...
December 3, 2024 at 9:24 AM
Great paper by Yogi Jaeger, Denis Walsh et al.
A sweeping overview of the complex adaptive systems approach to organisms, arguing why their behavior & evolution defy computable models, while bridging open research issues in biology, cognitive science & AI
frontiersin.org/journals/psy...
A sweeping overview of the complex adaptive systems approach to organisms, arguing why their behavior & evolution defy computable models, while bridging open research issues in biology, cognitive science & AI
frontiersin.org/journals/psy...
New paper on the role of nutritin in Claude Bernard's biological philosophy
Nutrition as an "interfield" object that bridges physiology, organic chemistry, and levels of inquiry—from cell to organism
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Nutrition as an "interfield" object that bridges physiology, organic chemistry, and levels of inquiry—from cell to organism
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
November 28, 2024 at 8:44 AM
New paper on the role of nutritin in Claude Bernard's biological philosophy
Nutrition as an "interfield" object that bridges physiology, organic chemistry, and levels of inquiry—from cell to organism
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Nutrition as an "interfield" object that bridges physiology, organic chemistry, and levels of inquiry—from cell to organism
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
New special issue just published in Ratio: "Purpose in Biology: New Directions" #philbio
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679329...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679329...
November 25, 2024 at 9:45 AM
New special issue just published in Ratio: "Purpose in Biology: New Directions" #philbio
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679329...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679329...
Check out the latest post by Mathilde Tahar discussing her newly published book! She explores how Bergson's concept of creative evolution connects to contemporary developments in evolutionary theory
dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
November 18, 2024 at 11:57 AM
Check out the latest post by Mathilde Tahar discussing her newly published book! She explores how Bergson's concept of creative evolution connects to contemporary developments in evolutionary theory
dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
dialecticalsystems.eu/contribution...
📢 Talk Alert: Recognizing Animal Agency in Environmental Conservation
🗓️ When: Nov 18, 18:30 CET
Conventional conservation methods often overlook animal agency, impacting intervention outcomes
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/recog...
🗓️ When: Nov 18, 18:30 CET
Conventional conservation methods often overlook animal agency, impacting intervention outcomes
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/recog...
November 11, 2024 at 10:53 AM
📢 Talk Alert: Recognizing Animal Agency in Environmental Conservation
🗓️ When: Nov 18, 18:30 CET
Conventional conservation methods often overlook animal agency, impacting intervention outcomes
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/recog...
🗓️ When: Nov 18, 18:30 CET
Conventional conservation methods often overlook animal agency, impacting intervention outcomes
dialecticalsystems.eu/events/recog...
Open PhD position at IAS_Research (University of the Basque Country) within the project “Outagencies: Varieties of autonomous agency across living, humanimal, and technical systems”
more info here: outonomy.net/2024/10/30/p...
project description: outonomy.net/project-desc...
more info here: outonomy.net/2024/10/30/p...
project description: outonomy.net/project-desc...
October 31, 2024 at 2:30 PM
Open PhD position at IAS_Research (University of the Basque Country) within the project “Outagencies: Varieties of autonomous agency across living, humanimal, and technical systems”
more info here: outonomy.net/2024/10/30/p...
project description: outonomy.net/project-desc...
more info here: outonomy.net/2024/10/30/p...
project description: outonomy.net/project-desc...
🚨 Paper Alert!
"Six Personas to Adopt When Framing Theoretical Research Questions in Biology" guides research framing and debunks common misconceptions about theory.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#ProcB #Biology #Ecology #Evolution
"Six Personas to Adopt When Framing Theoretical Research Questions in Biology" guides research framing and debunks common misconceptions about theory.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#ProcB #Biology #Ecology #Evolution
October 31, 2024 at 9:05 AM
🚨 Paper Alert!
"Six Personas to Adopt When Framing Theoretical Research Questions in Biology" guides research framing and debunks common misconceptions about theory.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#ProcB #Biology #Ecology #Evolution
"Six Personas to Adopt When Framing Theoretical Research Questions in Biology" guides research framing and debunks common misconceptions about theory.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#ProcB #Biology #Ecology #Evolution
Bergson supported the idea of evolution but was critical of how it was studied, arguing that the evolutionary theory of his time overlooked the historical and creative capacities of living beings
New monograph out:
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
New monograph out:
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
October 9, 2024 at 10:01 AM
Bergson supported the idea of evolution but was critical of how it was studied, arguing that the evolutionary theory of his time overlooked the historical and creative capacities of living beings
New monograph out:
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
New monograph out:
www.dialecticalsystems.eu/publications...
Eating is essential for all organisms. Even simple animals like Porifera and Placozoa, without neurons or muscles, coordinate cell activities to eat, involving cognitive processes
This supports the idea that cognition begins with chemical signaling
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
This supports the idea that cognition begins with chemical signaling
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
June 17, 2024 at 12:15 PM
Eating is essential for all organisms. Even simple animals like Porifera and Placozoa, without neurons or muscles, coordinate cell activities to eat, involving cognitive processes
This supports the idea that cognition begins with chemical signaling
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
This supports the idea that cognition begins with chemical signaling
link.springer.com/article/10.1...