Jonathan Birch (philosopher): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Sentience-in-Cephalopod-Molluscs-and-Decapod-Crustaceans-Final-Report-November-2021.pdf|thumb|Birch's 2021 ''Review of the Evidence of Sentience in Cephalopod Molluscs and Decapod Crustaceans'']] |
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Birch read for a [[BA (Hons)]] in [[Natural Sciences (Cambridge)|Natural Sciences]] at the [[University of Cambridge]] from 2005-8, and then an [[MPhil]] in [[History and Philosophy of Science]] at Cambridge from 2008-9.<ref name="CV"/> He read for a PhD in the [[Philosophy of Science]] at Cambridge from 2009-13.<ref name="CV"/> His thesis, which was supervised by [[Tim Lewens]], was entitled ''Kin Selection: A Philosophical Analysis''.<ref name="Thesis"/> From 2012-14, Birch held a [[Junior Research Fellowships|Junior Research Fellowship]] at [[Christ's College, Cambridge]].<ref name="CV"/> He was awarded a [[Philip Leverhulme Prize]] in 2014.<ref name="Leverhulme"/> |
Birch read for a [[BA (Hons)]] in [[Natural Sciences (Cambridge)|Natural Sciences]] at the [[University of Cambridge]] from 2005-8, and then an [[MPhil]] in [[History and Philosophy of Science]] at Cambridge from 2008-9.<ref name="CV"/> He read for a PhD in the [[Philosophy of Science]] at Cambridge from 2009-13.<ref name="CV"/> His thesis, which was supervised by [[Tim Lewens]], was entitled ''Kin Selection: A Philosophical Analysis''.<ref name="Thesis"/> From 2012-14, Birch held a [[Junior Research Fellowships|Junior Research Fellowship]] at [[Christ's College, Cambridge]].<ref name="CV"/> He was awarded a [[Philip Leverhulme Prize]] in 2014.<ref name="Leverhulme"/> |
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Revision as of 11:11, 22 July 2023
Career
Birch read for a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge from 2005-8, and then an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge from 2008-9.[1] He read for a PhD in the Philosophy of Science at Cambridge from 2009-13.[1] His thesis, which was supervised by Tim Lewens, was entitled Kin Selection: A Philosophical Analysis.[2] From 2012-14, Birch held a Junior Research Fellowship at Christ's College, Cambridge.[1] He was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2014.[3]
Birch took up an Assistant Professorship at the Department of Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2014.[1][4] In 2017, he published his monograph The Philosophy of Social Evolution with Oxford University Press. The book explores the philosophical foundations of social evolution theory, as founded by W. D. Hamilton, including Hamilton's rule, kin selection, and inclusive fitness. Birch makes the case that social evolution theory offers potential for furthering understanding of a range of areas of evolutionary science, including microbial evolution and human evolution, as well as in diverse studies of cooperation.[5] In 2018, Birch was promoted to Associate Professor.[1]
From 2020, Birch was the principle investigator for the five-year Foundations of Animal Sentience (ASENT) research project at LSE, which was funded by the European Research Council. Responding to controversies around the nature and attribution of animal sentience, the project seeks to develop "a conceptual framework for thinking about sentience as an evolved phenomenon that varies along several dimensions, a deeper understanding of how these dimensions of sentience relate to measurable aspects of animal behaviour and the nervous system, and a richer picture of the links between sentience, welfare and the ethical status of animals".[6]
Birch was the lead author of a report entitled Review of the Evidence of Sentience in Cephalopod Molluscs and Decapod Crustaceans for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, published in 2021. The report recommended that cephalopods and decapod crustaceans should be considered sentiet under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and other UK laws.[7] The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, when initially drafted in 2021, recognised only vertebrates as sentient. Largely thanks to Birch's report, however, the Act was amended to include cephalopods and decapods.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b c d e Birch, Jonathan (2022). "CV" (PDF). London School of Economics. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ Birch, Jonathan (2013). Kin Selection: A Philosophical Analysis (PDF) (Thesis). University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Philip Leverhulme Prizes 2014". Leverhulme Trust. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Dr Jonathan Birch". London School of Economics. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ Reviews:
- Brusse, Carl; Sterelny, Kim. "The Philosophy of Social Evolution". BJPS Review of Books. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- Rubin, Hannah (2019). "The Philosophy of Social Evolution". Economics & Philosophy. 35 (2): 354–60. doi:10.1017/s0266267119000051.
- Ruse, Michael (2018). "The Philosophy of Social Evolution". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 93 (2): 152–3. doi:10.1086/698062.
- Shavit, Ayelet (2019). "Jonathan Birch, The Philosophy of Social Evolution". History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences. 41 (1) 3. doi:10.1007/s40656-019-0240-7.
- Ågren, J. Arvid (2018). "The Hamiltonian view of social evolution". Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. 68–69: 88–93. doi:10.1016/j.shpsc.2018.05.005.
- Thrasher, John (2018). "The price of sociality". Metascience. 28: 139–142. doi:10.1007/s11016-018-0355-6.
- ^ "Foundations of Animal Sentience (ASENT)". London School of Economics. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Review of the Evidence of Sentience in Cephalopod Molluscs and Decapod Crustaceans (Report). London School of Economics. November 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "UK Sentience Bill passes final stages to recognise decapod and cephalopod sentience by law". Eurogroup for Animals. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Rowan, Andrew N.; D'Silva, Joyce M.; Duncan, Ian J. H.; Palmer, Nicholas (2021). "Animal sentience: History, science, and politics". Animal Sentience. 31 (1). doi:10.51291/2377-7478.1697.