AG Heinzelmann, 27.06.2025 Quantum Biology

The transdisciplinary field of quantum biology applies models and concepts from quantum mechanics to explain biological phenomena. After a nontechnical review of some key topics in this field where these quantum theoretical resources are deemed indispensable, I address the question of what, exactly, makes them so. I then draw implications for scientific explanation and the relations between disciplines and levels of reality, among other things.

Sam Fletcher is Professor of Philosophy of Physics at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Merton College. His research explores the foundations of physics and statistics, examining how these domains intersect with broader issues in the philosophy of science. He also works on the conceptual and physical foundations of computation, metaphilosophy, and the history of physics and philosophy of science. Previously, he worked at the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, with which he is still associated as principal investigator of the project: A Modern Philosophy for Classical Statistical Testing and Estimation. His work is featured in journals like Synthese and Foundations of Physics.