Biological Theory

Our cover for 2025 features the Red Carpet design by Clarice Cliff (1899–1972) on a 30 cm diameter ceramic wall plaque, circa 1930. The painting is one of the English ceramicist’s Art Deco-style “Bizarre” pottery designs. Cliff, considered one of the 20th century’s most influential ceramics artists, led a team of painters, mostly women, to produce pottery for commercial sale. Cliff’s designs also showed Cubist inspiration. Image courtesy of Fieldings Auctioneers.

Our cover for 2024 features Rythme n^o 1, décoration pour le Salon des Tuileries (1938, 529 x 592 cm, oil on canvas) by French artist Robert Delaunay (1885–1941), an early key figure in the development of abstract art. The painting was one of several large canvases commissioned for the Salon des Tuileries exhibition. Delaunay’s work, marked by the use of brilliant colors and geometric forms, reflects his studies and experimentation with color theory. He wrote about contrasting color and the use of light, and explored the possibilities of color to convey an illusion of movement, as part of the Orphic Cubism art movement he co-founded.

The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI) is an independent center of advanced studies in the life and sustainability sciences. The mission of the KLI is to enable scientific reasoning that can contribute to understanding and sustaining life in its biological, cognitive, social, and cultural diversity. The KLI is committed to contribute by addressing pressing challenges of our time through inter and transdisciplinary research. Especially, we believe that theories are crucial to: give meaning to data, connect ideas, facilitate dialogue, stimulate learning, inform new research, and inspire action.

The KLI supports conceptual and formal research as well as philosophical and historical work that addresses broad and interrelated questions about life. It does not put disciplinary boundaries to creativity and welcomes proposals engaging with these questions from the natural and social sciences as well as from philosophy, history and social studies thereof.

The KLI has founded Biological Theory and decides about the Editorial leadership. The Editor in Chief makes content decisions independent of the KLI.

 The KLI also publishes the book series Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology with MITPress

Original Articles:

Articles are single anonymous reviewed by at least two independent international reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief makes all final decisions for all submitted papers based on these reviews.

Feature Articles  (Trend, Profile, Concept, Historical Essay, Essay Review)

Feature articles are single anonymous reviewed by at least two independent international reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief makes all final decisions for all submitted papers based on these reviews.

Classics in Biological Theory

The introductory essays for the Classics feature are reviewed by the section editor for the feature, the EIC, and an Associate Editor or member of the Editorial Board if additional expertise is deemed necessary.

Procedure Editorials (in house submissions)

Editorials  by the EiC or by a Guest Editor of a Thematic Issue are reviewed by at least one Associate Editor.

Guest Edited Thematic Issues

Articles in Guest Edited thematic Issues follow the same peer review standards as Original Articles. Open Thematic Issues are announced under Journal Updates.

Collections: Classics in Biological Theory and Critical Concepts in Biological Theory

 Articles in these collections are upon invitation of the section editor. Please contact the section editor to discuss your ideas. Invited essays are reviewed by the section editor for the feature, the EIC, and an Associate Editor or member of the Editorial Board if additional expertise is deemed necessary.