Coming to Canada from

University of Edinburgh, UK

Research involves

Examining the appropriateness of extending evolutionary explanations to disciplines in the social and health sciences.

Research relevance

The research is leading to a useful dialogue on the nature and scope of the evolutionary explanation.

How Far Can Evolutionary Theory Be Applied?

Evolutionary biology seeks to explain adaptation through the process of natural selection. While this area of study is rooted in the natural sciences, it has been appropriated by many other disciplines in the social and health sciences, including social and developmental psychology, linguistics, and philosophy.

Denis Walsh is looking at the interpretation of modern evolutionary theory and its application beyond the traditional boundaries of biology. As the Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Biology, Professor Walsh is looking at the relations between causal, statistical, and teleological (i.e., purposive) explanations of evolutionary biology.

With his background in biology as well as in philosophy, Professor Walsh is uniquely equipped to spearhead a dialogue between the two disciplines. In addition, his project Naturalizing Folk Psychology tackles longstanding philosophical problems, especially those that pertain to the philosophy of the mind.