Curriculum vitae

 

Antonio Diéguez-Lucena

 

Professional address: Departamento de Filosofía, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga (Spain)

Telephone: (95) 2131815

 

Short bionote:

Antonio Diéguez is professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of Málaga, Spain. He was acting Dean and Vice-dean (1997-2002) of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at the University of Málaga. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Helsinki, at Harvard University, and at the University of Oxford. He was the first elected president of the Sociedad Iberoamericana de Filosofía de la Biología (AIFIBI), from November of 2012 to September of 2017.

His first main research interest was the contemporary debate about scientific realism. On this issue he published one influential book in Spanish –Realismo científico (1998)– and more than fifteen papers.

He has also published several papers and two books as a co-author about Philosophy of Technology, focusing on the difficulties to get a control of our modern technology and on the social and political effects of biotechnology. He was also interested in the similitudes and differences between José Ortega y Gasset and Martin Heidegger.

Afterwards, he extended his research interests to the field of Philosophy of Biology, working especially on the evolutionary explanation of the mind and its philosophical implications (evolutionary epistemology). He has published several papers and a book on this topic: La evolución del conocimiento: De la mente animal a la mente humana (The evolution of Knowledge: From Animal Mind to Human Mind) (2011).

More recently, he started two other new lines of research in Philosophy of Biology. The first one is about the explanatory use of models in biology and the second one is about the methodological and ontological assumptions of Synthetic Biology, as well as the possible social impacts of its future development.

In the last few years he has been interested in the subject of transhumanism and posthumanism, and has published several articles on the subject, and a book entitled Transhumanismo. La búsqueda tecnológica del mejoramiento humano (Transhumanism. The technological search for human enhancement), (2017). His position in this regard is critical, but recognizing the positive effects of biotechnology, and even its possible application to a moderate human enhancement.

 

Educational background:

 

1987: Doctor in Philosophy (award with special distinction), University of Málaga (Spain).

1984: Bachelor Degree in Philosophy and Teacher Training (award with special distinction), University of Málaga (Spain).

 

Other studies:

1998-2002: Completed several Biology courses in the Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga (Cytology, Zoology, Mathematics, Chemistry, New Trends in Biology, Bio-molecules, Microscopic Plant Organography, Animal Systematics and Phylogeny, Botanic, Physics, Microbiology, Biostatistics, Biochemistry, Genetics, Ecology, Theory of Evolution, Genetic Analysis, Neurophysiology, Ecological Theory, Paleobiology, Evolutionary Paleontology).

 

Academic positions:

 

● May 2010 – present: Full Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science (Catedrático de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia), Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga (Spain)

● June 1989 – May 2010: Associate Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science (Profesor Titular de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia), Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga (Spain).

● October 1987 – May 1989: Temporary Associate Professor (Profesor Titular Interino), Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga.

● January 1986 – September 1987: Profesor Colaborador, Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga.

 

Present teaching:

 

Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Biology

 

Publications:

 

Books:

 

● (2020) Filosofía de la ciencia. Ciencia, racionalidad y realidad (Philosophy of Science. Science, Rationality and Reality), Málaga: UMA Editorial.

● (2017) Transhumanismo. La búsqueda tecnológica del mejoramiento humano (Transhumanism. The Techonological Search for Human Enhancement), Barcelona: Herder.

● (2012) La vida bajo escrutinio. Una introducción a la filosofía de la biología (Life Under Scrutiny. An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology), Barcelona: Biblioteca Buridán.

  (2011) La evolución del conocimiento. De la mente animal a la mente humana (The Evolution of Knowledge. From Animal Mind to Human Mind), Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

● (2005) Filosofía de la ciencia (Philosophy of Science), Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

● (1998) Realismo científico. Una introducción al debate actual en la filosofía de la ciencia (Scientific Realism. An Introduction to the current Debate in the Philosophy of Science), Málaga: Universidad de Málaga.

● (1988) La teoría de las ciencias morales en John Stuart Mill (John Stuart Mill’s Theory of Moral Sciences), Málaga: Universidad de Málaga.

 

Books as editor:

 

● (2015) Diéguez, A. & J. M. Atencia (eds.) Naturaleza animal, naturaleza humana (Animal Nature, Human Nature), Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

(2006) Diéguez, A. & J. M. Atencia (eds.), Genes y máquinas. Aspectos éticos y sociales de las biotecnologías y las tecnologías de la información. (Genes and Machines. Ethical and Social Aspects of the Biotechnologies and the Technologies of Information).

● (2004) Diéguez, A. & J. M. Atencia (eds.) Tecnociencia y cultura a comienzos del siglo XXI (Technoscience and Culture at the Beginning of XXI Century), Málaga: Universidad de Málaga.

(2003) Diéguez, A. & J. M. Atencia (eds.) Historia sencilla de la filosofía reciente (Easy History of Recent Philosophy), Archidona: Aljibe.

 

Selection of papers and chapters in books (last years):

 

● (2020a) “La apelación a la dignidad en el debate sobre el mejoramiento humano”, Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos, 835, pp. 30-47.

● (2020b) “Realismo científico: ¿Cómo encajar a los modelos?”, en B. Borge y N. Gentile (eds.), La ciencia y el mundo inobservable. Discusiones contemporáneas en torno al realismo científico, Buenos Aires: EUDEBA, pp. 221-251.

● (2019) (With CARISSA VÉLIZ) “Would Moral Enhancement Limit Freedom?”, Topoi, 38(1), pp. 29-36.

DOI: 10.1007/s11245-017-9466-8

● (2018) ““Los profetas ambiguos”, Claves de Razón Práctica, 257, 2018, pp. 22-31.

● (2017) “Modelos falsos en la ciencia: un valioso recurso para la comprensión de los fenómenos”, Metatheoria, 8(1), 2017, pp. 95-105.

● (2016a) “Transhumanismo: entre el mejoramiento y la aniquilación” (Transhumanism: Between the Enhancement and the Annihilation”), Investigación y ciencia, 482, noviembre, pp. 48-49.

● (2016b) “Biología sintética y bioartefactualidad de lo humano” (“Synthetic biology and the bio-artefactuality of the human being”), en J.E. Linares y E. Arriaga (coords.), Aproximaciones interdisciplinarias a la bioartefactualidad, México: UNAM, pp. 295-326.

● (2016c), “La biología sintética y el imperativo de mejoramiento” (“Synthetic biology and the imperative of enhancement”), Isegoría, nº 55, pp. 503-528.

● (2015b) (With PALMQVIST, P., M. DUVAL, S. ROS-MONTOYA & M. P. ESPIGARES) “On the fallacy of using orthogenetic models of rectilinear change in arvicolid teeth for estimating the age of the first human settlements in Western Europe”, Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology, published online 17 Apr 2015, DOI  10.1080/08912963.2015.1025390

● (2015c) (With Javier Zamora Bonilla) “Ortega, filósofo de la técnica” (“Ortega, philosopher of techology”), introduction to José Ortega y Gasset’s Meditación de la técnica, Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.

● (2015d) “Scientific Understanding and the Explanatory Use of False Models”. in M. Bertolasso (ed.) The Future of Scientific Practice 'Bio-Techno-Logos', London: Pickering & Chatto Publishers, pp. 161-178.

● (2014a) “Reflexiones sobre las tecnologías de mejoramiento genético al hilo del pensamiento de Ortega y Gasset” (“Some reflections on enhancement technologies regarding Ortega y Gasset’s thought”), SCIO, 10, pp. 59-79.

● (2014b) “La acción tecnológica desde la perspectiva orteguiana: el caso del transhumanismo” (“The technological action from an Ortegian perspective: the transhumanism case”), Revista de Estudios Orteguianos, 29, pp. 131-153.

● (2014c), “El valor de la filosofía” (“The value of philosophy”), post published in the blog of Ludus Vitalis.

● (2014d) “Pensamiento conceptual en animales” (“Conceptual thinking in animals”), in A. Diéguez y J. M. Atencia (eds.), Naturaleza animal y  humana, Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva, pp. 83-114.

● (2014e) “Delimitación y defensa del naturalismo (en la ciencia y en la filosofía)” (Delimitation and defence of naturalism (in science and philosophy”), in R. Gutierrez-Lombardo & J. Sanmartín (eds.), La filosofía desde la ciencia, México DF: Centro de Estudios Filosóficos, Políticos y Sociales Vicente Lombardo Toledano, 2014, pp. 21-49.

● (2013a) “When do models provide genuine understanding, and why does it matter?”, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 35 (4), pp. 599-620.

● (2013b) “Biología sintética, transhumanismo y ciencia bien ordenada” (“Synthetic Biology, transhumanism, and well-ordered science”), Viento Sur, 131, pp. 71-80.

● (2013c) “Biotecnologia e responsabilidade - para além do Prometeu moderno”, IHU On-Line, 429, pp. 9-14. (Interview in Portuguese about synthetic biology).

● (2013d) “La filosofía de la técnica de Ortega como guía para la acción. Una comparación con Heidegger”, Revista Internacional de Tecnología, Conocimiento y Sociedad, 2 (1), pp. 73-97. (Extended versión in Spanish of Diéguez 2009b).

● (2013e) (Con Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli) “¿El darwinismo en crisis?” (“Is Darwinism in crisis”), Encuentros en la Biología, vol. 5, nº 141, pp. 121-126.

● (2013f) “Life as a Homeostatic Property Cluster”, Biological Theory, Volume 7, Issue 2, Page 180-186.

DOI:10.1007/s13752-012-0052-4

● (2013g) “De nuevo, la mente como excepción. Algunos comentarios críticos acerca del antinaturalismo de Thomas Nagel” (“Once more the mind as an exception. Some critical comments about Thomas Nagel’s antinaturalism”), Ludus Vitalis, Vol. XXI / núm 39, pp. 343-354. ISSN: 1133-5165

● (2012a) “La opción naturalista. Una respuesta a Francisco Soler” (“The naturalistic option. A replay to Francisco Soler”), Naturaleza y Libertad, 1, pp. 237-264.

● (2012b) “Filosofía sin milagros. Comentarios finales a la contrarréplica de Francisco Soler” (“Philosophy without miracles. Final comments to Francisco Soler”), Naturaleza y Libertad, 1, pp. 273-279.

● (2012c) “¿Puede la ciencia fáustica ofrecer una salvación del nihilismo? Algunas reflexiones sobre el libro de Andrés Moya Naturaleza y futuro del hombre, (Madrid: Síntesis, 2011)” (“Can a faustic science offer a salvation of nihilism? Some reflextion on Andrés Moya’s book Naturaleza y futuro del hombre”), Pasajes: Revista de pensamiento contemporáneo, ISSN 1575-2259, Nº. 38.

● (2012d) “Carlos Castrodeza: In memoriam”, Boletín de la SLMFCE, nº 56, julio, pp. 3-5.

● (2012e) “Realismo científico. ¿Sigue el debate?” (“Scientific Realism: Does the Debate Persist?”), Investigación y Ciencia, 426, marzo, pp. 38-39.

(2011a) “Conceptual Thinking in Animals. Some Reflections on Language, Concepts, and Mind”, in Darwin’s Evolving Legagy, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica.

● (2011b) “Kitcher's Modest Realism: The Reconceptualization of Scientific Objectivity”, in W. J. González (ed.), Scientific Realism and Democratic Society: The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher, “Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities” Amsterdam: Rodopi, pp. 141-169. 

● (2009) “Thinking about Technology, but… in Ortega’s or in Heidegger’s Style?”, Argumentos de Razón Técnica, 12, pp. 99-123.  ISSN: 1139-3327

● (2006) “Why Does Laudan’s Confutation of Convergent Realism Fail?”, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Vol. 37, nº 2, pp. 393-403.

 

 

Selected invited lectures:

 

● 2019: “Transhumanismo: ¿Un ser humano mejorado?”, en Feria del Libro de Bogotá, FilBo, Bogotá (Colombia), 28 de abril de 2019.

● 2018: “Origen evolutivo del conocimiento”, en el II Simposio de Filosofía Analítica: Filosofía de las Ciencias Cognitivas, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales (Colombia), 20 de abril.

● 2018: “Explicando con modelos falsos: una interpretación realista”, en I Jornadas Novatores en Filosofía de la Ciencia y la Tecnología: “Enfoques Contemporáneos del Realismo Científico”, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, 11 y 12 de abril.

● 2016: “La biología sintética como herramienta para el mejoramiento humano”, en el Coloquio Internacional “Aproximaciones críticas a la biología sintética. Perspectivas transdiciplinares”, UNAM (México), 10 de noviembre.

● 2015: “El imperativo de mejoramiento”, Jornadas Posthumanismo: El nuevo concepto de ser humano en la era tecnocientífica. Universidad de La Laguna (Tenerife), 5 de noviembre.

● 2013a: “Naturalismo: delimitación y defensa” (“Naturalism: Delimitation and defense”), en el Coloquio de Filosofía de la Ciencia. “La Filosofía desde la Ciencia”, Centro de Estudios Filosóficos, Políticos y Sociales Vicente Lombardo Toledano, México D.F., 5 de noviembre de 2013.

● 2013b: “Transhumanismo y biología sintética: la transformación biotecnológica de la identidad humana”, (“Transhumanism and Synthetic Biology: The biotechological transformation of human identity”) en Primer Coloquio Internacional e interdisciplinario: “Bio-artefactos: historia, ontología, ética y axiología” Centro de Ciencias Genómicas e Instituto de Biotecnología de la UNAM, Campus Cuernavaca (México), 7 de noviembre de 2013.

● 2012: “Con la guía de Ortega: la acción en el mundo tecnificado” (“With Ortega’s Guide: The Action in the Technified World”), in III Coloquio de Filosofía de la Tecnología: Artefactos y Cultura Material, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la UNAM, México D. F., 8 and 9 august.

● 2011a: “Una mirada a Ortega desde la filosofía contemporánea” (“Taking a Look at Ortega from the Contemporary Philosophy”), in the Congreso Internacional Ortega y Gasset. Nuevas lecturas. Nuevas perspectivas. A Propósito de la nueva edición de sus Obras Completas, Madrid, Universidad Complutense y Fundación Ortega-Marañón, 15 november.

● 2011b: “El origen evolutivo de la racionalidad humana” (“The Evolutionary Origin of Human Rationality”), in the Seminario sobre Racionalidad (Programa de Maestría y Doctorado en Filosofía de la Ciencia del Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas de la UNAM), México D. F., 8 november de 2011.

● 2011c: “Vida artificial y concepto de vida” (“Artificial Life and the Notion of Life”), in II Coloquio Internacional de Filosofía de la Tecnología: Bioartificialidad. Naturaleza, Arte y Técnica, México D. F., 3 november.

● 2011d: “Is life a natural kind?”, en el “Workshop on Natural Kinds”, Granada, 9 september.

● 2011e: “Animal thinking”, plenary lecture in the “Ninth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities”, Granada, 8 June.

● 2010a: “La filosofía de la tecnología de Ortega como guía para la acción. Una comparación con Heidegger” (“Ortega’s philosophy of technology as a guide to action. A comparison with Heidegger”), at the “Simposio internacional: Ortega y Gasset y su Meditación de la técnica. A los 75 años de su publicación en La Nación de Buenos Aires”, Madrid, 4 November.

● 2010b: “Comment on Sober: the sex ratio problem and the explanatory role of models in biology”, en Barcelona Conference on Causality and Explanation in Physics, Biology and Economics, Barcelona, 19 February.

● 2009a: “Popper frente a Darwin” (“Popper vs. Darwin”), Coloquio Complutense de Lógica, Lenguaje y Ciencia, Departamento de Lógica y Filosofía de la Ciencia, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 2 February.

● 2009b: “¿Es la vida un género natural? Dificultades para lograr una definición del concepto de vida” (“Is Life a Natural Kind? Some Difficulties in order to Obtain a Definition of Life”), at the congress “La idea de la evolución. 150 años después de Darwin”, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, 17 June.

2009c: “Can Animals Think? Some Reflections on Concepts, Language and Mind”, at the International Symposium “Lamarck-Darwin 1809-2009. Doscientos años de evolucionismo”, Xalapa, Veracruz (México), 1 October.

2008a: “La epistemología evolucionista y el debate sobre el realismo” (“The Evolutionary Epistemology and the debate about realism”), course of the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo “Darwin in memoriam. Las teorías de la evolución hoy”, Valencia, 17 July.

2008b: Invited discussant at the congress “What (Good) is Historical Epistemology”, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, 24-26 July

2007a: “What is Technological Determinism and Why it Should Not be Accepted”, Real Colegio Complutense, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. (USA), 15 March.

2007b: “A Comparison of Ortega’s and Heidegger’s Philosophy of Technology”, Center for International Education, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland, (USA), 6 April.

2007c: “Ortega y Gasset and Heidegger: Two Opposing Views of Technology”, Real Colegio Complutense, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. (USA), 19 April.

 

Stays at foreign universities:

 

April-June 2015: Academic Visitor at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Oxford University.

February-April 2007: Visiting scholar at the Department of Philosophy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. (USA)

May 2003: Visiting scholar at the Department of Philosophy, University of Helsinki.

May July 1998: Visiting scholar at the Department of Philosophy, University of Helsinki.

 

Editorial and other professional services:

 

1 January 1999 to 31 March 2000: Acting Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, University of Málaga.

February 1997 to December 1999 and April 2000 to December 2002: Vice-dean of Coordination of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, University of Málaga.

November 1984 to March 1991: Secretary of the Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga.

19992003: Elected member of the Senate of the University of Málaga.

1988–1991: Member of the Governing Board of the Journal Philosophica Malacitana.

19911996: Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Philosophica Malacitana.

1996present: Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Contrastes.

2005present: Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Argumentos de Razón Técnica.

2013-present: Associated Editor of the journal Contrastes.

2015-2019: Editor of the journal Theoria.

2002: Co-organizer (with J. M. Atencia) of the course “Tecnociencia y cultura a comienzos del siglo XXI” (Technoscience and Culture at the Beginning of XXI Century), 3-12 April, University of Málaga, Málaga (Spain).

2005: Co-organizer (with J. M. Atencia) of the course “Tecnociencia y cultura a comienzos del siglo XXI. Un enfoque social de las biotecnologías y las tecnologías de la información” (Technoscience and Culture at the Beginning of XXI Century. A Social Approach to the Biotechnologies and the Technologies of Information), 14-22 April, University of Málaga, Málaga (Spain).

2005: Co-organizer (with J. M. Atencia) of the “José Ortega y Gasset Conference”, 21-26 November, University of Málaga, Málaga (Spain).

2006: Director of the summer course of the University of Málaga “Julián Marías: Una filosofía en el destierro”, 31 july – 4 August, Vélez-Málaga (Spain).

2009: Member of the Scientific Committee of the XXVª Jornadas de Paleontología, organized by the Spanish Society of Paleontology, Ronda (Spain), 23 – 26 September.

2010: Director of the summer course of the University of Málaga “Hombres y animales: ¿Qué hemos aprendido de Darwin?” 12-16 July, Ronda (Spain).

2012: Coordinator of the Organizing Committee of the I Congreso de la Asociación Iberoamericana de Filosofía de la Biología (AIFBI), Valencia, 28, 29 and 30 november.

Referee for several journals, among them Synthese, Journal of Medical Ethics, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Theoria, Metatheoria, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Scientia et Fides, Ágora, Revista de Filosofía, Comprendre.

 

Professional organisations:

 

(2019 - present) Member of the “Academia Malagueña de Ciencias” (Academy of Sciences of Málaga).

(1993 - present) Member of the “Sociedad de Lógica, Metodología y Filosofía de la Ciencia en España” (Society of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science in Spain).

(2009 - present) Member of the International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB).

(2009 - present) Member of the Sociedad Española de Biología Evolucionista (SESBE) (Spanish Society for Evolutionary Biology).

(28/11/2012 - present) Founding member of the Asociación Iberoamericana de Filosofía de la Biología (AIFIBI) and first elected president.

(2017 - present) Member of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA).

 

Other activities:

 

Main Researcher in the Research Group in Cognitive Sciences, belonging to the Andalusian Research Plan. Code HUM264.