Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS)

For more upcoming events at our centre, visit this link: hiw.kuleuven.be/clps/events

Screenshot of a KU Leuven Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science event page announcing a seminar titled "Moral Injury meets Moral Theory” by Andrew Peter Rebera. The page lists the event date and time (6 March 2026, 2:00–4:00 PM CET), location (HIW1-01.20, room N). Abstract Given the nature of their work, soldiers are particularly prone to moral injury. Moral injury is a form of psychological distress that can occur when a person is caught up in events that seriously challenge their fundamental moral beliefs and expectations, undermining their faith in the frameworks that shape their moral understanding (Molendijk, 2021, p. 22). In psychology, standard models of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) understand such suffering as a pathological response to traumatic events. By contrast, the moral injury paradigm acknowledges that the negative feelings moral transgressions provoke may be wholly appropriate. Philosophically, recognising that moral injury may be a fitting response to moral experience has implications for how we think about the relationship between moral theory and military practice. Standard accounts of moral responsibility suggest that agents who act in accordance with the relevant rules or norms of action-guiding moral theory have nothing to regret. But the scope of what can fittingly wound a moral agent may be broader than this picture allows. Drawing on and extending Bernard Williams's account of agent regret and the primacy of cause in Greek ethical thought (Williams, 1993), I explore the range of circumstances in which moral injury can fittingly occur, suggesting that agent regret and moral injury may be fitting responses even where the agent is not even causally responsible for transgressions. I develop this thought through a series of cases drawn from military and non-military contexts before closing with some observations concerning their implications for the role of moral theory in military ethics and military ethics education.

CLPS seminar tomorrow by Andrew Peter Rebera on moral injury, agent regret & military #ethics. The talk will examine when moral injury can be a fitting response to moral experience—even when agents are not causally responsible—drawing on B. Williams & cases from military & civilian life. #philsky

Header of an article in Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Volume 40, Issue 4, April 2025, pages 320–322), published by Cell Press, titled "Our not-so-natural connection to nature." The authors are Yannick Joye (Vilnius University) and Andreas De Block (KU Leuven), with their institutional affiliations listed beneath the title in the journal’s standard layout.

The biophilia hypothesis holds that we have an innate predisposition to be drawn to #nature. Y. Joye & @andreasdeblock.bsky.social review the evidence in its favor, find it wanting, and suggest that #culturalevolution offers a better alternative www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #evosky #philsci

Header of an article in Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Volume 40, Issue 4, April 2025, pages 320–322), published by Cell Press, titled "Our not-so-natural connection to nature." The authors are Yannick Joye (Vilnius University) and Andreas De Block (KU Leuven), with their institutional affiliations listed beneath the title in the journal’s standard layout.

The biophilia hypothesis holds that we have an innate predisposition to be drawn to #nature. Y. Joye & @andreasdeblock.bsky.social review the evidence in its favor, find it wanting, and suggest that #culturalevolution offers a better alternative www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #evosky #philsci

For more upcoming events at the Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, follow this link: hiw.kuleuven.be/clps/events

Screenshot of a KU Leuven Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS) webpage announcing a Brown Bag Seminar titled "Cartesian Skepticism and Aristotelian Geometry" by Jan Heylen and Lorenz Demey. The page lists the date (27 February 2026, 1:00–2:00 PM, Europe/Brussels), location (HIW1-01.20), and organizers (Atahan Erbas and Alejandro Fábregas Tejeda), displayed in the standard KU Leuven website layout.

Brown Bag seminar tomorrow!

Jan Heylen & Lorenz Demey will present on Cartesian skepticism, focusing on the underdetermination & closure arguments. They will analyze them using logical geometry, advancing a construction that connects two Aristotelian squares of opposition.

Join us! #philsky #HPS

Header and abstract page of an original research article in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences (2026, volume 48, article 12) titled "Modeling versatility as the hallmark of model organisms," authored by Guido I. Prieto and Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda. Abstract In recent years, discussions on the epistemology of model organism-based research have emerged in the philosophy of science. A key topic of discussion is how the epistemic insights gained from model organisms differ from those gained through other experimental organisms used in laboratory and field research. Here, we argue that model organisms are epistemically special due to their nature as ontogenetically changeable, standardized, and evolved material model carriers. These characteristics afford six important kinds of modeling versatility that biologists marshal in their investigations: (i) synchronic target versatility; (ii) synchronic scope versatility; (iii) diachronic target versatility; (iv) diachronic scope versatility; (v) manipulation versatility; and (vi) discovery versatility. In presenting these dimensions of modeling versatility, we also clarify key notions such as ‘representational target,’ ‘representational scope,’ and ‘representational power’ as these apply to modeling practices that involve model organisms.

It has been argued that what sets model organisms apart from other experimental 🐋🌱 is their high representational power. In our latest 📃, we argue otherwise: the hallmark of MOs lies in the dimensions of modeling versatility they afford to scientists 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPS

Cover of The Leuven Philosophy Newsletter, a newsletter for alumni of the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven. Beneath the title and university seal appears a grayscale illustration of the Institute of Philosophy building in Leuven: historic façades frame a small square with a central monument and a large, wind-swept tree, while several figures walk or stand in conversation in front of the gated entrance.

In the latest volume of The Leuven Philosophy Newsletter you'll find an interview with Emeritus Prof. Stefaan Cuypers, a piece on the Case4EU Project by Griet Galle, a presentation of the Chair of Ethics & AI by @lodelauwaert.bsky.social & much more! hiw.kuleuven.be/en/study/alu... #philsky #philsci

Cover of The Leuven Philosophy Newsletter, a newsletter for alumni of the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven. Beneath the title and university seal appears a grayscale illustration of the Institute of Philosophy building in Leuven: historic façades frame a small square with a central monument and a large, wind-swept tree, while several figures walk or stand in conversation in front of the gated entrance.

In the latest volume of The Leuven Philosophy Newsletter you'll find an interview with Emeritus Prof. Stefaan Cuypers, a piece on the Case4EU Project by Griet Galle, a presentation of the Chair of Ethics & AI by @lodelauwaert.bsky.social & much more! hiw.kuleuven.be/en/study/alu... #philsky #philsci

Header of an article published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (volume 109, 2025, pages 12–20), titled "Not wasted on the young: Childhood, trait complexes & human behavioral ecology," authored by Andra Meneganzin (KU Leuven) and Adrian Currie (University of Exeter), shown in Elsevier’s standard journal layout with logo and publication details.

How did childhood evolve? @andrameneganzin.bsky.social & @adrian-currie.bsky.social argue that childhood is a ‘trait complex,’ and this engenders trade-offs between the precision & historical relevance of tests performed in #BehavioralEcology 👇📃 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #evosky #philsci

Header of an article published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (volume 109, 2025, pages 12–20), titled "Not wasted on the young: Childhood, trait complexes & human behavioral ecology," authored by Andra Meneganzin (KU Leuven) and Adrian Currie (University of Exeter), shown in Elsevier’s standard journal layout with logo and publication details.

How did childhood evolve? @andrameneganzin.bsky.social & @adrian-currie.bsky.social argue that childhood is a ‘trait complex,’ and this engenders trade-offs between the precision & historical relevance of tests performed in #BehavioralEcology 👇📃 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #evosky #philsci

Screenshot of a KU Leuven Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS) event webpage announcing a seminar by Jasper Eeckhout titled The Logoi of Logic: On the development of the first logic textbooks in various European vernaculars. The page lists the date (13 February 2026, 2:00–4:00 PM, Europe/Brussels), location (HIW 01.20, room N), and includes sections for title, speaker, website, and abstract. Abstract In the sixteenth century, for the first time, logic textbooks were being written and published in a multitude of European vernaculars. Even though logic was, and continued to be, taught and practiced in Latin, in particular at universities, authors from different backgrounds were driven to write in their own vernacular. Contemporary scholarship has addressed the development of logic in some (but not all) of the European vernaculars in this period. However, virtually no attempt has been made to study the patterns and tendencies that hold across the different vernaculars in which these logic textbooks were written. This is unfortunate because studying these cross-vernacular patterns can shed important light on a multitude of questions pertaining to the dissemination of scientific and philosophical knowledge. A valuable starting point to address these patterns is an exploration of the similarities and differences concerning the impact and success of these first vernacular textbooks. Taking this into account, my CLPS-lecture aims to analyse and compare the trajectory and influence of these first textbooks in the European vernaculars. First, I give an overview of the 16th-century logical landscape, starting from the clash between scholasticism and humanism that resulted in a new Latin textbook tradition. Then, I consider the nature of the vernacular textbooks and the various motives of the authors to write works of logic in their own vernacular. Finally, I discuss the factors that were involved in shaping the impact and success of these textbooks.

In the 16th century, #logic textbooks started to be written in languages other than Latin in Europe. Tomorrow, in our CLPS seminar, Jasper Eeckhout will present a study of cross-vernacular patterns that sheds light on the dissemination of scientific & philosophical knowledge #HPS #philsky #philsci

For more upcoming events at the Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, check out this website: hiw.kuleuven.be/clps/events/...

Screenshot of a KU Leuven Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS) event webpage announcing a seminar by Jasper Eeckhout titled The Logoi of Logic: On the development of the first logic textbooks in various European vernaculars. The page lists the date (13 February 2026, 2:00–4:00 PM, Europe/Brussels), location (HIW 01.20, room N), and includes sections for title, speaker, website, and abstract. Abstract In the sixteenth century, for the first time, logic textbooks were being written and published in a multitude of European vernaculars. Even though logic was, and continued to be, taught and practiced in Latin, in particular at universities, authors from different backgrounds were driven to write in their own vernacular. Contemporary scholarship has addressed the development of logic in some (but not all) of the European vernaculars in this period. However, virtually no attempt has been made to study the patterns and tendencies that hold across the different vernaculars in which these logic textbooks were written. This is unfortunate because studying these cross-vernacular patterns can shed important light on a multitude of questions pertaining to the dissemination of scientific and philosophical knowledge. A valuable starting point to address these patterns is an exploration of the similarities and differences concerning the impact and success of these first vernacular textbooks. Taking this into account, my CLPS-lecture aims to analyse and compare the trajectory and influence of these first textbooks in the European vernaculars. First, I give an overview of the 16th-century logical landscape, starting from the clash between scholasticism and humanism that resulted in a new Latin textbook tradition. Then, I consider the nature of the vernacular textbooks and the various motives of the authors to write works of logic in their own vernacular. Finally, I discuss the factors that were involved in shaping the impact and success of these textbooks.

In the 16th century, #logic textbooks started to be written in languages other than Latin in Europe. Tomorrow, in our CLPS seminar, Jasper Eeckhout will present a study of cross-vernacular patterns that sheds light on the dissemination of scientific & philosophical knowledge #HPS #philsky #philsci

Poster announcing the 15th Leuven Graduate Student Conference in Philosophy, featuring a large QR code over a tinted architectural background, bold text reading “Call for Abstracts,” conference date (24 April 2026), submission deadline (6 March 2026), and a link for more information, with KU Leuven branding in the corner.

We are delighted to announce the 15th edition of the Graduate Student Conference, hosted by the Institute of Philosophy (@kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social). This year’s keynote speaker is Sibo Kanobana. Submit an abstract by March 6, 2026, and join us! hiw.kuleuven.be/cmprpc/event... #philsky #HPS

I am elated & humbled that my upcoming monograph (mitpress.mit.edu/978026205282...) was chosen as one of the #openaccess titles for Spring 2026. Thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social's Direct to Open (D2O) model & the hundreds of participating libraries that make it possible! #philsky #HPS #evosky #HPbio

Title page of a scholarly logic paper in the Journal of Applied Logics titled "Term-Modal Deontic Logics as Fragments of Alethic First-Order Modal Logics," listing authors Stef Frijters and Robbe Van den Eede with their academic affiliations at KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in a clean, minimalist academic layout.

In their recent paper, Stef Frijters and Robbe Van den Eede formally extend a cornerstone deontic #logic result by Anderson and Kanger, proving that key term-modal deontic systems are fragments of alethic first-order modal logics 👇📃 www.collegepublications.co.uk/ifcolog/?00070 #philsky #HPS #mathsky

Poster announcing the 15th Leuven Graduate Student Conference in Philosophy, featuring a large QR code over a tinted architectural background, bold text reading “Call for Abstracts,” conference date (24 April 2026), submission deadline (6 March 2026), and a link for more information, with KU Leuven branding in the corner.

We are delighted to announce the 15th edition of the Graduate Student Conference, hosted by the Institute of Philosophy (@kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social). This year’s keynote speaker is Sibo Kanobana. Submit an abstract by March 6, 2026, and join us! hiw.kuleuven.be/cmprpc/event... #philsky #HPS

Title page of a scholarly logic paper in the Journal of Applied Logics titled "Term-Modal Deontic Logics as Fragments of Alethic First-Order Modal Logics," listing authors Stef Frijters and Robbe Van den Eede with their academic affiliations at KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in a clean, minimalist academic layout.

In their recent paper, Stef Frijters and Robbe Van den Eede formally extend a cornerstone deontic #logic result by Anderson and Kanger, proving that key term-modal deontic systems are fragments of alethic first-order modal logics 👇📃 www.collegepublications.co.uk/ifcolog/?00070 #philsky #HPS #mathsky

Final reminder 📢 We are looking for a #philbio or #philphysics postdoc for an interdisciplinary project exploring the boundary between living and nonliving systems through the lens of self-organization & active matter 👇 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... #philjobs #philsky #HPS #devbio Please share!

Book cover of "This is mental!" by Pieter R. Adriaens. The upper half features a detailed, stylised illustration reminiscent of a neurological diagram: black, tree-like neuronal forms branch upward and outward against a cream background, interlaced with fine lines and small annotations, while red star-shaped nodes punctuate the network, suggesting neural activity. Below the illustration, the title "This is mental!" appears prominently in large red serif lettering, followed by the subtitle "Een inleiding tot de wijsgerige psychologie" in smaller turquoise text. At the bottom, the publisher’s name, Pelckmans, is printed in a restrained, minimalist style.

Our colleague Pieter Adriaens has published a new Dutch-language introduction to #PhilMind for scientists & philosophers! He covers topics such as modularity, psychopathology, comparative psychology & free will—and much more! 👇 www.pelckmansuitgevers.be/this-is-ment... #philsci #philsky #AcademicSky

Book cover of "This is mental!" by Pieter R. Adriaens. The upper half features a detailed, stylised illustration reminiscent of a neurological diagram: black, tree-like neuronal forms branch upward and outward against a cream background, interlaced with fine lines and small annotations, while red star-shaped nodes punctuate the network, suggesting neural activity. Below the illustration, the title "This is mental!" appears prominently in large red serif lettering, followed by the subtitle "Een inleiding tot de wijsgerige psychologie" in smaller turquoise text. At the bottom, the publisher’s name, Pelckmans, is printed in a restrained, minimalist style.

Our colleague Pieter Adriaens has published a new Dutch-language introduction to #PhilMind for scientists & philosophers! He covers topics such as modularity, psychopathology, comparative psychology & free will—and much more! 👇 www.pelckmansuitgevers.be/this-is-ment... #philsci #philsky #AcademicSky

What am I Doing? YouTube video by Logic with Bo

Postdoctoral fellow Boaz Schuman is launching a new series of short videos highlighting the work being conducted at our centre! Here is the first one, with Bo presenting his ongoing project on assertion in indirect proof: www.youtube.com/shorts/HYpu0... Stay tuned for more 📼! #philsky #HPS #logic

What am I Doing? YouTube video by Logic with Bo

Postdoctoral fellow Boaz Schuman is launching a new series of short videos highlighting the work being conducted at our centre! Here is the first one, with Bo presenting his ongoing project on assertion in indirect proof: www.youtube.com/shorts/HYpu0... Stay tuned for more 📼! #philsky #HPS #logic

Screenshot showing the title and publication details of the article 'On the Prospects of Basal Cognition Research Becoming Fully Evolutionary: Promising Avenues and Cautionary Notes' by Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda and Matthew Sims, published in the journal 'History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.'

Scientists are investigating putative cognitive capacities in non-neuronal organisms. But how evolutionarily grounded is this approach? @alejandrofabregastejeda.com & @philosobio.bsky.social evaluate basal cognition research in their 📃👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #evodevo #evosky #cogsci #HPS

Screenshot showing the title and publication details of the article 'On the Prospects of Basal Cognition Research Becoming Fully Evolutionary: Promising Avenues and Cautionary Notes' by Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda and Matthew Sims, published in the journal 'History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.'

Scientists are investigating putative cognitive capacities in non-neuronal organisms. But how evolutionarily grounded is this approach? @alejandrofabregastejeda.com & @philosobio.bsky.social evaluate basal cognition research in their 📃👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #evodevo #evosky #cogsci #HPS

Promotional image highlighting the publication of a research article in the Journal for the Philosophy of Mathematics. The article is titled “On the Limits of Comparing Subset Sizes within ℕ” and is authored by Sylvia Wenmackers (Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven).

How do we assign sizes to subsets of the natural numbers (ℕ)? Sylvia Wenmackers compares the answers given by six formalisms to gain a better understanding of the trade-offs that arise when dealing with such a vexing problem in mathematics👇 riviste.fupress.net/index.php/jp... #philsci #HPS #philmath

Promotional image highlighting the publication of a research article in the Journal for the Philosophy of Mathematics. The article is titled “On the Limits of Comparing Subset Sizes within ℕ” and is authored by Sylvia Wenmackers (Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven).

How do we assign sizes to subsets of the natural numbers (ℕ)? Sylvia Wenmackers compares the answers given by six formalisms to gain a better understanding of the trade-offs that arise when dealing with such a vexing problem in mathematics👇 riviste.fupress.net/index.php/jp... #philsci #HPS #philmath

AI heeft natuurlijk ook grote voordelen.
Goed punt van professor @lodelauwaert.bsky.social
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
#AI

New on the Archive:

Dani, Gianmaria and Ramsey, Grant (2025) Tool Use Beyond Humans. Philosophy of Science, 92 (4). pp. 883-899. ISSN 1539-767X

https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/27952/