The research unit studies the history and philosophy of science, with a focus on the life sciences, especially biology, and philosophical anthropology. Its members work in the Emmy Noether research group "ROTO" (The Return of the Organism in the Biosciences: Theoretical, Historical, and Social Dimensions) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It investigates the conceptual, methodological and anthropological challenges going along with the current comeback of the concept of organism in the bio- and biomedical sciences. The group combines philosophical, historical and sociological approaches to study biological individuality, agency, organism-environment boundaries, and the concept of environment. Other research topics concern the history of botany and theoretical biology, the concept of race and values in science as well as causality and scientific explanation.  

ROTO Homepage: Here 

ROTO Bluesky: Here

Colloquium 'History and Philosophy of Science': Here

Lecture Series 'History & Philosophy of the Life Sciences': Here

If you are interested in doing a M.A. in our History, Philosophy & Culture of Science (HPS+) Program at RUB, please write us. 

If you are interested in writing your B.A. / M.A. thesis on topics related to the history and philosophy of science (including issues about values in science and societal dimensions of science), philosophical anthropology, or other topics in (the history of) theoretical philosophy, please write to jan.baedke@rub.de. I am happy to discuss with you your ideas!

Wenn Sie daran interessiert sind, Ihre B.A./M.A.-Arbeiten zu Themen der Wissenschaftsgeschichte und -philosophie (einschließlich Themen zu Werten in der Wissenschaft und gesellschaftlichen Dimensionen der Wissenschaft), zur philosophischen Anthropologie oder zu anderen Themen der (Geschichte der) theoretischen Philosophie zu schreiben, schreiben Sie bitte an jan.baedke@rub.de. Ich freue mich darauf, Ihre Ideen mit Ihnen zu diskutieren!

News

New publications...

• Jan Baedke: The Organism. Cambridge University Press (2025) [link]
• Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda, Jan Baedke, Guido I. Prieto, Gregory Radick (eds.): The Riddle of Organismal Agency: New Historical and Philosophical Reflections. Routledge. (2024) [Print] [pdf]
• Helmut Pulte, Jan Baedke, Daniel Koenig, Gregor Nickel (eds.): New Perspectives on Neo-Kantianism and the Sciences. Routledge. (2024) [Print] [pdf]
• Jan Baedke: Plant agency: A short history from Kant to plant psychology, then to holism, and back again. In: A. Fábregas-Tejeda, J. Baedke, G.I. Prieto, G. Radick (eds.): The Riddle of Organismal Agency: New Historical and Philosophical Reflections. Routledge (2024) [download pdf]
• Jan Baedke, Azita Chellappoo & Maurizio Meloni (eds.): Postgenomic Determinism: Environmental Narratives After the Century of the Gene. Special Issue in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences. (2023-2025) [Link]
• Azita Chellappoo & Jan Baedke: Where the social meets the biological: New ontologies of biosocial race. In: Synthese (2023) [download pdf]
• Jan Baedke & Christina Brandt (eds.): New Styles of Thought and Practices: Biology in the Interwar Period. Special Issue in Journal of the History of Biology. J. Baedke & C. Brandt (eds.). (2022) [Link]