Why immunologists have no other choice but to do conceptual & theoretical immunology

In this talk, I argue that immunologists who do not think conceptually and theoretically are very unlikely to make useful contributions to their own field.
In a first part, I make three points. First, theories have been crucial in immunology since its inception at the end of the 19th century. Second, theories guide what we think and what we do, experimentally and therapeutically. Third, those who consider that they don’t need theoretical thinking are prisoners of tacit theoretical frameworks.
In a second part, I present some of my modest proposals to develop conceptual and theoretical frameworks in immunology over the last ten years. I try to assess the extent to which this work has proved scientifically useful.
This talk reflects both my huge reservations as to where mainstream immunology is currently heading and my hopes that more and more immunologists will embrace its powerful conceptual and theoretical tradition.