While Jurassic World is busy being a box office hit, Professor Leonard Finkelman is pondering the existence and extinction of dinosaurs.
Finkelman, assistant professor of philosophy at Linfield, was recently profiled in Wired Magazine and The Oregonian.
What can philosophy tell us about Jurassic Park and dinosaurs? Should Jurassic Park’s velociraptors have feathers? Paleontologists now say yes. Through a consideration of the evidence for feathered dinosaurs, Finkelman explains the role of evidence and the contribution that philosophy makes in scientific progress.
Finkelman joined the Linfield faculty in 2014. His scholarly interests include philosophy of biology with an emphasis on concepts in evolution and extinction. He has also co-authored the articles “The Value of Public Philosophy to Philosophers” and “The Extended (Evolutionary) Debate: Where Science Meets Philosophy.”
Learn more about the Linfield College Department of Philosophy.
