ISHPSSB PORTO MEETING, Biennial meeting of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, 20-25 July 2025.

Exploring Anthropogenic Evolution (Chair: Elena Casetta)

25 July, 11:00-12:30, ICBAS, Room: BLA1

Darwin extensively used examples of artificial selection and domestication to illustrate evolution and natural selection. Today, the term anthropogenic evolution refers to evolutionary changes occurring as a direct result of human activities and influences. As a process in which human actions create selective pressures that drive evolutionary changes in other species it may refer to deliberate artificial selection, to unintended pressures or other evolutionary effects related to developmental or interactive phenomena. Recent proponents of the theory of niche construction consider that living entities are agents of evolution and that their activities can generate evolutionary phenomena. Humans can be considered among those agents. Today, anthropogenic selection has expanded dramatically, encompassing a vast range of agents, goals, and drivers. This expansion has blurred the lines between artificial and natural selection, much like the broader distinction between nature and artifice (or nature and culture) has become increasingly complex. Instances of artificial selection include the tropical biodiversity curated within an urban garden, ecosystems engineered for climate change mitigation, and conservation programs that prioritize aesthetically valued species. What does it mean to preserve ‘nature’ when the strategies employed rely on artificial or human-driven selection? What is the role of humans in the general process of natural selection? This roundtable aims to explore the scope of anthropogenic evolution, including selection, in contemporary contexts, from various yet interconnected perspectives (such as the philosophy of conservation sciences, philosophy of biology, and aesthetics), with particular attention to species conservation, reproductive dynamics and climate change mitigation efforts.

Elena Casetta (University of Turin, Italy); Arantza Etxeberria (University of the Basque Country, Spain); Philippe Huneman (Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (CNRS / Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne), France; Mariagrazia Portera (University of Florence, Italy).

The event is supported by Res Viva – Interuniversity Research Centre for the Epistemology and the History of Life Sciences.

Info: https://ishpssb2025.icbas.up.pt/