Workshop: “Perspectives on Human Variation: Philosophy meets Evolutionary Anthropology” KU Leuven, June 6-7 2025

Workshop: “Perspectives on Human Variation: Philosophy meets Evolutionary Anthropology” KU Leuven, June 6-7 2025

Organizers: Andra Meneganzin and Grant Ramsey

When: 6-7 June 2025

Where: Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, Belgium

Confirmed speakers:

• Lia Betti (University College London)
• Isabelle De Groote (Ghent University)
• Anton Killin (University of Bielefeld)
• Mathilde Lequin (University of Bordeaux)
• Celso Neto (University of Exeter)
• Ross Pain (University of Bristol)

Theme

The study of phenotypic variation in past and present humans has long been a central focus of evolutionary anthropology. From the analysis of fossil morphology and taxonomic practices to inferences about past behaviors and cognition across taxa, characterizing and understanding phenotypic variation—identifying its sources and tracing its evolution over time—remains at the heart of much contemporary research in human evolution. Yet, the task of characterizing, classifying, and explaining variation in both modern and paleontological contexts comes with critical challenges.

Many aspects of present-day human variation remain poorly understood, often due to systemic biases—such as the underexplored variation in female anatomy and physiology and the over-representation of WEIRD societies in psychological studies. These biases shape the direction of inquiry in evolutionary research. Similarly, understanding past variation is limited by incomplete fossil, archaeological, and genomic records, as well as conceptual neglect, such as the absence of shared frameworks for individuating traits and the neglect of non-adaptive explanations. Finally, linking present and past variation raises difficult theoretical and methodological questions, such as: To what extent can we apply models of morphological variation based on present-day primate taxa to gain insights into hominin evolution and variation over hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years?

This workshop aims to provide a venue for philosophers and practicing scientists working in human evolutionary studies to productively reflect on state-of-the-art challenges and prospects of studying human variation in an evolutionary setting. 

Questions we will be asking include (but are not restricted to):

• What are the major biases, limitations, and risks in characterizing present-day human phenotypic variation, and how can they be addressed?
• In what ways do these biases impact our epistemic reach into past evolutionary phenomena?
• How do living model species inform patterns of inter- and intraspecific variation in hominin fossil taxa (e.g., primate models)?
• What are the challenges in predicting archaic hominin phenotypes from present-day (e.g., genomic) data?
• What are the roles of non-adaptive evolutionary processes in shaping patterns of phenotypic variation, and how can they be traced using historical records

For the Call for Abstracts, please see the link above.

For further information and updates (including registration details), a website for the workshop will be created soon.