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In this paper we identify six theses that constitute core results of philosophical investigation into the nature of mechanisms, and of the role that the search for and identification of mechanisms play in the sciences. These theses represent the fruits of the body of research that is now often called New Mechanism. We concisely present the main arguments for these theses. In the literature, these arguments are scattered and often implicit. Our analysis can guide future research in many ways: it provides critics of New Mechanism with clear targets, it can reduce misunderstandings, it can clarify differences of opinion among New Mechanists and it helps to define a research agenda for New Mechanists., Author(s): Stuart Glennan [sup.1] , Phyllis Illari [sup.2] , Erik Weber [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.253419.8, 0000 0000 8596 9494, Department of Philosophy, Religion and Classics, Butler University, , 4600 [...]

Author(s): Erik Weber [sup.1], Henk W. de Regt [sup.2], Dingmar van Eck [sup.1] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5342.0, 0000 0001 2069 7798, Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Ghent [...]

In this paper we chart epistemological similarities between shared function talk in biology and the engineering sciences, focusing on the notions of biological advantage function and technical advantage function. We start by showing that biological advantage function ascriptions are common in biology and that technical advantage function ascriptions are common in engineering science. We then proceed to show that these ascriptions have a very similar structure and that their epistemic value also is similar: both biological advantage function and technical advantage function ascriptions provide the means to answer what-would-happen-if questions. We develop and illustrate our claims with four case studies: two from biology, and two from engineering design research. Our results offer new insights into a relatively neglected (but very important) issue in both philosophy of biology and technology, viz. assessing the explanatory and predictive utility of function ascriptions., Author(s): Erik Weber [sup.1] , Dingmar van Eck [sup.1] , Julie Mennes [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2069 7798, grid.5342.0, Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Ghent University [...]

The article is a book review of the work "Sich vor niemandem bücken - höchstens um ihm aufzuhelfen" by Florian Grams and Ilka Hoffmann. The book is a collection of contributions dedicated to the late Wolfgang Jantzen. It contains personal memories, obituaries, and discussions about Jantzen's work in special education. The anthology acknowledges Jantzen's contribution to the reform of special education theory and deinstitutionalization. It also sheds light on his Marxist foundations and his significance for an emotional pedagogy. The article emphasizes that even three years after Jantzen's death, the anthology remains an impressive testament to his work. [Extracted from the article]