b. 1952
John Dupré is a British philosopher of science and biology, currently Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Exeter and director of Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences. He is best known for his pluralist and anti-reductionist philosophy of biology, his account of 'promiscuous realism' about natural kinds, and sustained critiques of genetic determinism and the unity of science.
Developed 'promiscuous realism' — the view that multiple, cross-cutting classification schemes can each be legitimate
Authored The Disorder of Things (1993), a foundational critique of reductionism and the unity of science
Critiqued genetic determinism and simplistic accounts of the gene–behavior relationship
Advanced a process ontology for biology, arguing organisms are dynamic processes rather than stable entities
Challenged the cognitive and epistemic status of natural selection theory as ordinarily understood