The Centre was founded as the Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences in 2007 by Ute Deichmann, who also became its first director. In 2024, the Centre changed its name to the Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science to include all natural sciences.
The Centre is named after the German-Jewish-American experimental biologist Jacques Loeb (1859-1924). A passionate experimentalist, successful in broad areas of biomedical research that ranged from embryology to the physical chemistry of proteins, he was influential in transforming physiology in the US into an internationally renowned basic science. He was also known for his high standards of experimentation and criticism of what he considered bad science and of vitalistic tendencies. Loeb had a deep interest in historical, philosophical and political issues, interacting with historians and philosophers of science and expressing his political concerns in writing, for example, about the role of scientists in the rising German nationalism during WW1.
The naming of the Centre after Jacques Loeb alludes to the fact that history of science, the personal and political prerequisites for good—that is, fruitful and reliable—science, the impact of ideologies in the past and today, and the study of the philosophical basis of scientific research, will be among the Centre’s prime topics.
Objectives and Activities
The Centre funds research and organizes lectures and interdisciplinary national and international workshops and conferences devoted to topics in history and philosophy as well as current developments in science. These include, but are not restricted to:
- Origin of and change to fundamental concepts in modern experimental sciences,
- Examination of how big data- and AI-guided science can be reconciled with pertinent fruitful epistemologies, such as hypothesis creation, their experimental falsification, and Michael Polanyi's dictum that personal judgement is a crucial prerequisite for good science,
- Analysis of current and past cases of scientific misconduct and of the political, social, and institutional conditions conducive to fraud or misconduct; the role of AI in misconduct, such as the generation of papermills,
- Impact of the collaboration of scientists with industry on their epistemology and on scientific norms and ethics.
- Influence of politics and various ideologies on scientists and science in the past and present.
The Centre is directed by Ute Deichmann.
Noa Sophie Kohler is the administrator and a research fellow.
Desiree Meloul is the administrative coordinator.
Daniel Somekh is a research assistant.
