Niall Shanks
Encyclopedia
Niall Shanks was a native of Cheshire
, England
, was educated at Rossall School
, and later at the University of Leeds
and the University of Liverpool
. Shanks left England for Canada in 1981 and earned his Ph.D.
at the University of Alberta
, Canada
in 1987. Shanks moved to the United States in 1987. For a number of years Shanks was a member of the Department of Philosophy at East Tennessee State University
, where he also held positions in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He then moved to Wichita State University
where he was the Curtis D. Gridley Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science.
Shanks served a term as President (2008-9) of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
; He was vice-president and board member of Americans For Medical Advancement
for ten years; and an honorary Board Member of Internet Infidels
. In 1993 he served a term as President of the Tennessee Philosophical Association.
Shanks' early research interests were focused on issues in the philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics. He later wrote about the case against Intelligent Design and actively defended evolution. Beginning in the 1990s he explored the implications of evolutionary biology for biomedical research and was actively involved in this until his death. Shanks was also interested in the history of medicine and the role played by medicine in the scientific revolutions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Niall Shanks was a well known lover of all things Scottish, especially bagpipe music.
Quantum Theory: Shanks early work was focused on so-called hidden variables theory of non-relativistic elementary quantum mechanics
, and the problem of the construction of classical models (models exhibiting the properties of determinateness and determinism) for quantum measurement statistics. Shanks argued that the various no hidden variables proofs rested on questionable assumptions which a classical modeler could plausibly deny. Shanks would later argue that local deterministic models were indeed possible for the puzzling quantum spin correlation statistics that were used to characterize Bell's Theorem
(a modern incarnation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox EPR paradox
). Shanks essay, Quantum Mechanics and Determinism, (Philosophical Quarterly,1993, vol. 43, 170:20-37) summarizes his arguments in an accessible manner. At this point in time, working with W. David Sharp, Shanks examined some puzzles concerning counterfactual interpretations of quantum mechanics. This work culminated in the Sharp and Shanks proof that counterfactual interpretations of quantum spin measurements could not be reconciled with the validated predictions of quantum mechanics (see W.D. Sharp and N. Shanks, 1993, The Rise and Fall of Time-Symmetrized Quantum Mechanics, Philosophy of Science, vol. 60:488-499).
Animals, Science and Animal Science: Shanks has explored the role played by animal experimentation in the contexts of anatomy
and physiology
during the renaissance
. He has argued that animal experimentation provided a crucial driving force behind the method of analysis and synthesis that would come to play a central role in the emergence of the physico-chemical sciences in the 17th and 18th centuries. If Shanks is right, the development of modern science flows from physik (i.e., medicine) to physics, and not the reverse as is commonly supposed. Physics would ultimately come to have profound implications for physiology, and these matters are explored by Shanks in his work on the writings of the great 19th century French physiologist, Claude Bernard
. In the course of his explorations of the implications of the study of animals for the modern scientific view of the world, Shanks has explored the issue of animal consciousness and the question as to what, if anything, science can teach us about the mental lives of animals. Shanks has argued that there is no straightforward fact of the matter to settle disputes between those who have a very generous view of the mental lives of animals (for example, in some versions of cognitive ethology
derived from the work of Donald Griffin), and those who favor minimalistic cognitive estimates (for example, some species of behaviorism
). Shanks has argued that disputes about these matters hinge not on appeals to the facts, but rather on disputes about what the relevant facts are, and where these disputes do not themselves admit of a straightforward factual resolution. The matters are explored in Shanks' book, Animals and Science.
Creationism: Shanks was a staunch defender of evolutionary biology and a vehement opponent of creationism
(and its recent incarnation in the form of intelligent design
theology). Shanks argued that the intelligent design movement is rooted in bad science, bad theology and a radical right-wing social agenda. His views may be found in his book, God, The Devil and Darwin. Shanks conducted numerous public debates with creationists and advocates of intelligent design, including Duane Gish
, William Dembski, Paul Nelson (creationist)
and Michael Behe
. Shanks is an advocate of methodological naturalism
and has argued against drawing supernatural
conclusions on the basis of either biological complexity
or puzzles in cosmology
concerning the fine-tuned universe
. In addition to evolution, Shanks emphasized the role played by self-organization
in a purely naturalistic account of biological and cosmological phenomena.
Evolution and Medicine: Shanks made contributions to debates on topics in what may be broadly characterized as evolutionary medicine
. It is now generally recognized that the implications evolutionary biology for medicine must be taken into account if modern medical inquiry is to be placed on a sound theoretical foundation. The great population geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky
once remarked that "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." This is especially true of modern medicine. Shanks has argued that evolutionary biology is highly important when considering the so-called prediction problem in biomedical research. It has become common scientific practice in research in toxicology
, drug development
, pathology
and therapeutics to explore human biomedical phenomena by performing experiments on nonhuman animals and then extrapolating the results to humans (animals play many roles in biomedical research, but one important role is as predictors of human biomedical phenomena). The prediction problem is generated by the fact that humans and their nonhuman models have taken divergent evolutionary trajectories, and are thus not qualitatively identical systems (once compensation has been made for purely quantitative differences in body weight, for example). Put bluntly, the prediction problem boils down to this: if mice are not men writ small, under what conditions do we expect experimental results on mice to have informational value for human biomedical phenomena? Two of Shanks' essays have generated some interest in this puzzle (see Evolution and Medicine: The Long Reach of Dr. Darwin, http://www.peh-med.com/content/2/1/4, written with Rebecca Pyles, Ph.D., and Are Animal Models Predictive for Humans, http://www.peh-med.com/content/4/1/2, written with Ray Greek, MD., and Jean Greek, DVM).
In addition, Shanks has written over fifty scholarly articles and is also the author of numerous book reviews.
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was educated at Rossall School
Rossall School
Rossall School is a British, co-educational, independent school, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St. Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year...
, and later at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
. Shanks left England for Canada in 1981 and earned his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1987. Shanks moved to the United States in 1987. For a number of years Shanks was a member of the Department of Philosophy at East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
, where he also held positions in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He then moved to Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
where he was the Curtis D. Gridley Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science.
Shanks served a term as President (2008-9) of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
; He was vice-president and board member of Americans For Medical Advancement
Americans For Medical Advancement
Americans For Medical Advancement is a 501 science-based patient advocacy organization dedicated to improving policy and decision-making regarding the use of the animal model in biomedical research and drug testing. They oppose the use of animals only as models for predicting human response...
for ten years; and an honorary Board Member of Internet Infidels
Internet Infidels
Internet Infidels, Inc. is a Colorado Springs, Colorado-based nonprofit educational organization founded in 1995 by Jeffery Jay Lowder and Brett Lemoine. Its mission is to utilize the Internet to promote the view that supernatural forces or entities do not exist...
. In 1993 he served a term as President of the Tennessee Philosophical Association.
Shanks' early research interests were focused on issues in the philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics. He later wrote about the case against Intelligent Design and actively defended evolution. Beginning in the 1990s he explored the implications of evolutionary biology for biomedical research and was actively involved in this until his death. Shanks was also interested in the history of medicine and the role played by medicine in the scientific revolutions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Niall Shanks was a well known lover of all things Scottish, especially bagpipe music.
Quantum Theory: Shanks early work was focused on so-called hidden variables theory of non-relativistic elementary quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, and the problem of the construction of classical models (models exhibiting the properties of determinateness and determinism) for quantum measurement statistics. Shanks argued that the various no hidden variables proofs rested on questionable assumptions which a classical modeler could plausibly deny. Shanks would later argue that local deterministic models were indeed possible for the puzzling quantum spin correlation statistics that were used to characterize Bell's Theorem
Bell's theorem
In theoretical physics, Bell's theorem is a no-go theorem, loosely stating that:The theorem has great importance for physics and the philosophy of science, as it implies that quantum physics must necessarily violate either the principle of locality or counterfactual definiteness...
(a modern incarnation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox EPR paradox
EPR paradox
The EPR paradox is a topic in quantum physics and the philosophy of science concerning the measurement and description of microscopic systems by the methods of quantum physics...
). Shanks essay, Quantum Mechanics and Determinism, (Philosophical Quarterly,1993, vol. 43, 170:20-37) summarizes his arguments in an accessible manner. At this point in time, working with W. David Sharp, Shanks examined some puzzles concerning counterfactual interpretations of quantum mechanics. This work culminated in the Sharp and Shanks proof that counterfactual interpretations of quantum spin measurements could not be reconciled with the validated predictions of quantum mechanics (see W.D. Sharp and N. Shanks, 1993, The Rise and Fall of Time-Symmetrized Quantum Mechanics, Philosophy of Science, vol. 60:488-499).
Animals, Science and Animal Science: Shanks has explored the role played by animal experimentation in the contexts of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
during the renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. He has argued that animal experimentation provided a crucial driving force behind the method of analysis and synthesis that would come to play a central role in the emergence of the physico-chemical sciences in the 17th and 18th centuries. If Shanks is right, the development of modern science flows from physik (i.e., medicine) to physics, and not the reverse as is commonly supposed. Physics would ultimately come to have profound implications for physiology, and these matters are explored by Shanks in his work on the writings of the great 19th century French physiologist, Claude Bernard
Claude Bernard
Claude Bernard was a French physiologist. He was the first to define the term milieu intérieur . Historian of science I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science"...
. In the course of his explorations of the implications of the study of animals for the modern scientific view of the world, Shanks has explored the issue of animal consciousness and the question as to what, if anything, science can teach us about the mental lives of animals. Shanks has argued that there is no straightforward fact of the matter to settle disputes between those who have a very generous view of the mental lives of animals (for example, in some versions of cognitive ethology
Cognitive ethology
The fusion of cognitive science and classical ethology into cognitive ethology "emphasizes observing animals under more-or-less natural conditions, with the objective of understanding the evolution, adaptation , causation, and development of the species-specific behavioral repertoire" - .- Relation...
derived from the work of Donald Griffin), and those who favor minimalistic cognitive estimates (for example, some species of behaviorism
Behaviorism
Behaviorism , also called the learning perspective , is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking, and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior...
). Shanks has argued that disputes about these matters hinge not on appeals to the facts, but rather on disputes about what the relevant facts are, and where these disputes do not themselves admit of a straightforward factual resolution. The matters are explored in Shanks' book, Animals and Science.
Creationism: Shanks was a staunch defender of evolutionary biology and a vehement opponent of creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
(and its recent incarnation in the form of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
theology). Shanks argued that the intelligent design movement is rooted in bad science, bad theology and a radical right-wing social agenda. His views may be found in his book, God, The Devil and Darwin. Shanks conducted numerous public debates with creationists and advocates of intelligent design, including Duane Gish
Duane Gish
Duane Tolbert Gish is an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement. Gish is a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research and the author of numerous publications on the subject of creation science. Gish has been called "creationism's T.H...
, William Dembski, Paul Nelson (creationist)
Paul Nelson (creationist)
Paul A. Nelson is an American philosopher of science, young earth creationist and intelligent design advocate.- Biography :Nelson is the grandson of the creationist author and Lutheran minister Byron Christopher Nelson and edited a book of his grandfather's writings...
and Michael Behe
Michael Behe
Michael J. Behe is an American biochemist, author, and intelligent design advocate. He currently serves as professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and as a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture...
. Shanks is an advocate of methodological naturalism
Naturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
and has argued against drawing supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
conclusions on the basis of either biological complexity
Complexity
In general usage, complexity tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement. The study of these complex linkages is the main goal of complex systems theory. In science there are at this time a number of approaches to characterizing complexity, many of which are...
or puzzles in cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
concerning the fine-tuned universe
Fine-tuned universe
The fine-tuned universe is the proposition that the conditions that allow life in the Universe can only occur when certain universal fundamental physical constants lie within a very narrow range, so that if any of several fundamental constants were only slightly different the universe would be...
. In addition to evolution, Shanks emphasized the role played by self-organization
Self-organization
Self-organization is the process where a structure or pattern appears in a system without a central authority or external element imposing it through planning...
in a purely naturalistic account of biological and cosmological phenomena.
Evolution and Medicine: Shanks made contributions to debates on topics in what may be broadly characterized as evolutionary medicine
Evolutionary medicine
Evolutionary medicine or Darwinian medicine is the application of modern evolutionary theory to understanding health and disease. It provides a complementary scientific approach to the present mechanistic explanations that dominate medical science, and particularly modern medical education...
. It is now generally recognized that the implications evolutionary biology for medicine must be taken into account if modern medical inquiry is to be placed on a sound theoretical foundation. The great population geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky
Theodosius Dobzhansky
Theodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky ForMemRS was a prominent geneticist and evolutionary biologist, and a central figure in the field of evolutionary biology for his work in shaping the unifying modern evolutionary synthesis...
once remarked that "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." This is especially true of modern medicine. Shanks has argued that evolutionary biology is highly important when considering the so-called prediction problem in biomedical research. It has become common scientific practice in research in toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
, drug development
Drug development
Drug development is a blanket term used to define the process of bringing a new drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery...
, pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
and therapeutics to explore human biomedical phenomena by performing experiments on nonhuman animals and then extrapolating the results to humans (animals play many roles in biomedical research, but one important role is as predictors of human biomedical phenomena). The prediction problem is generated by the fact that humans and their nonhuman models have taken divergent evolutionary trajectories, and are thus not qualitatively identical systems (once compensation has been made for purely quantitative differences in body weight, for example). Put bluntly, the prediction problem boils down to this: if mice are not men writ small, under what conditions do we expect experimental results on mice to have informational value for human biomedical phenomena? Two of Shanks' essays have generated some interest in this puzzle (see Evolution and Medicine: The Long Reach of Dr. Darwin, http://www.peh-med.com/content/2/1/4, written with Rebecca Pyles, Ph.D., and Are Animal Models Predictive for Humans, http://www.peh-med.com/content/4/1/2, written with Ray Greek, MD., and Jean Greek, DVM).
Publications
- Brute science : dilemmas of animal experimentation (co-authored with Hugh LaFollette; London : Routledge, 1996).
- Idealization in Contemporary Physics N. Shanks (Ed.), (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1998).
- Logic, Probability and Science N. Shanks and R.B. Gardner (Eds.), (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2000).
- Animals and science : a guide to the debates (Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, c2002).
- God, the devil, and Darwin : a critique of intelligent design theory (New York : Oxford University Press, 2004).
- Animal Models in the Light of Evolution (co-authored with C. Ray Greek; Boca Raton, Fl: Brown Walker 2009).
In addition, Shanks has written over fifty scholarly articles and is also the author of numerous book reviews.