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RESEARCH

I am a philosopher of science, with special interests in the philosophy of biology and in data ethics. I am especially interested in how empirical practices can be assessed and evaluated from a philosophical perspective. Correspondingly, I explore two main areas of research (1) Causation in Biology and (2) Ancestry and Human Genomics.

CAUSATION IN BIOLOGY

I am interested in investigating what biologists mean when they talk about causes. From a philosophical perspective, causation is often studied from a metaphysical perspective. In scientific practice, however, some causal claims and causal explanations seem to be at odds with how philosophers tend to think about causes. I am interested in providing a philosophical analysis of how scientists appeal to causes in their research programs. I have done so by providing an epistemic assessment of notions such as downward causation and reciprocal causation in evolutionary developmental explanations.

ANCESTRY AND HUMAN GENOMICS

In this project, I assess scientific practices in human genomics from within. I am especially interested in how 'genetic ancestry' is a category used to cluster and label human groups. I have been intrigued by how 'genetic ancestry' is a complex construct and how it has consequences to our understanding of human genetic diversity. Moreover, I assess how clustering human genomic data according to ancestry raises ethical questions.

PUBLICATIONS

⏤ Haddad, Yasmin. 2023. “The Epistemic Harms of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests.” Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-023-10164-w.

⏤ Longino, H., Haddad, Y., Bueno Arbo., J and Silva Soares., M. 2021. “Filosofia da ciência e epistemologias feministas: entrevista com Helen Longino.” Em Construção, no. 10 (November). https://doi.org/10.12957/emconstrucao.2021.62842.

 

⏤ Haddad, Yasmin. 2016. “Previsão e Passagem: Considerações sobre a Causalidade em A Evolução Criadora.” ANALÓGOS 16 (1). https://doi.org/10.17771/PUCRio.ANA.28210.

UNDER REVIEW

IN PREPARATION

⏤ Haddad, Y. The Scope of Reciprocal Causation.

⏤ Haddad, Y. Demystifying Downward Causation in Biology.

⏤ Haddad, Y. The Value-Ladenness of Population Descriptors.

 

⏤ The Unbearable Lightness of Intervening: A Realist Metaphysics for Manipulability Theories of Causation (with Caleb Hazelwood)

⏤ A paper on reciprocal causation and the proximate/ultimate distinction.

TRANSLATIONS

De Laclos, Choderlos. 2019. “Da Educação Das Mulheres.” In Arqueofeminismo: Mulheres Filósofas e Filósofos Feministas Do Século XVII-XVIII, edited by Maxime Rovere, translated by Yasmin Haddad. São Paulo: n-1 edições.

Poullain De La Barre, François. 2019. “Da Igualdade Entre Os Dois Sexos, Discurso Físico e Moral, Onde Vemos a Importância de Se Desfazer Dos Preconceitos.” In Arqueofeminismo: Mulheres Filósofas e Filósofos Feministas Do Século XVII-XVIII, edited by Maxime Rovere, translated by Yasmin Haddad. São Paulo: n-1 edições.

 

Ravaisson, Félix. 2018. “Do Hábito.” Translated by Yasmin Haddad. Revista Ideação 1       (37).

SELECTED TALKS

2023 

⏤ The Value Ladenness of Population Descriptors, CLMPST (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

⏤ The Scope of Reciprocal Causation, ISHPSSB Conference (Toronto, Canada)

⏤The Value-Ladenness of Population DescriptorsUniversity of Exeter (Exter, UK), Egenis - Colloquium Series.

2022

The Scope of Reciprocal CausationHalifax Workshop in Philosophy of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax.

Demystifying Downward Causation in Biology, Causation in the Life Sciences Conference, University of Kent, UK.

2021

Demystifying Downward Causation in Biology (ISHPSSB - International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology)

2020

Downward Causation in Biology: a Philosophical Account, Redpath Museum (Redpath Seminar Series)

2019

Emergence and Novelty in Evolutionary Biology, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science (CSHPS), University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Emergence and Evolutionary Novelties: towards and explanation in Philosophy of BiologyCanadian Philosophical Association (CPA), University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

⏤Emergence and Novelty in Evolutionary Biology, McGill Workshop Series

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