Abstract:
In recent years, the philosophy of immunology has become a major area of interest within the philosophy of science. Philosophers of immunology cover a wide range of topics, including cancer biology, individuality, and symbiosis. While the philosophy of immunology aims at providing a philosophy of all immune systems, most, if not all current accounts focus on the particularities of mammalian immune systems. This can partly be explained by the epistemic and material conditions of philosophy of immunology’s target discipline – immunology – which to a large extent also prioritizes mammalian immune systems. The pragmatic reasons for this focus – most immunologists aim at understanding, treating, and curing human diseases – do however not automatically justify its epistemic consequences. In this talk, I will provide an alternative perspective, introducing an invertebrate immune system to challenge some preconceived notions about the immune system. I will question the conceptual distinction between biotic and abiotic triggers in immunology, the notion that only jawed vertebrates display a fully realized adaptive immune system, and the strong dichotomy between physiological and evolutionary individuality. I will conclude by summarizing how an “outsider-organism” perspective can help eliminate epistemic biases in immunology.