Moral Psychology Lab Meeting - Anya Plutynski, Washington University in St. Louis

Abstract: Cancer is a paradigmatic case of a complex causal process; causes of cancer operate at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, and the respects in which these causes act and interact are diverse.  Because of this complexity, models of cancer initiation and progression often involve deliberate choices to focus on one time scale, one causal pathway, or one aspect of cancer's dynamics. A variety of what might be called theoretical “perspectives” (or, better: research programs) inform the construction of these models.  Different researchers focus on cancer as primarily driven by the acquisition of somatic (and inherited) mutations, tissue disorganization, developmental or tissue organization effects, stemness properties, endocrine or metabolic changes, or infection and inflammation.  This paper will argue that purportedly competing theoretical views of cancer are not at odds, but can (and should) be viewed as mutually informative.  Models are most often developed in the service of asking very specific questions, and this requires limiting our view of the phenomena to a specific temporal or spatial scale, or a particular outcome, dynamic, or pattern. Thus, while some models of carcinogenesis may seem at odds, often they are simply concerned with different questions.  I hope to bring this case to bear on debates among philosophers of science over perspectivism and realism, as well views about unification and pluralism.