Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology

by Ayala, Francisco J.; Arp, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781405159999
• ISBN10: 1405159995
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-02
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This collection of specially commissioned essays puts top scholars head to head to debate the central issues in the lively and fast growing field of philosophy of biology Brings together original essays on ten of the most hotly debated questions in philosophy of biology Lively head-to-head debate format sharply defines the issues and paves the way for further discussion Includes coverage of the new and vital area of evolutionary developmental biology, as well as the concept of a unified species, the role of genes in selection, the differences between micro- and macro-evolution, and much more Each section features an introduction to the topic as well as suggestions for further reading Offers an accessible overview of this fast-growing and dynamic field, whilst also capturing the imagination of professional philosophers and biologists

Author Biography

Francisco Ayala is Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine. A U.S. National Medal of Science winner, he has published widely in genetics, evolutionary biology and the philosophy of biology. Robert Arp teaches philosophy at Southwest Minnesota State University, and his book, Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving, is forthcoming with MIT Press.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors

General Introduction

References and Further reading

Is It Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

It Is Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics

It Is Not Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics

Have Traits Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Traits Have Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage

Traits Have Not Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage

Are Species Real?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Species Are Real Biological Entities: Michael F. Claridge

Species Are Not Uniquely Real Biological Entities

Does Selection Operate Primarily on Genes?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Selection Does Operate Primarily on Genes: In Defense of the Gene as the Unit of Selection

Selection Does Not Operate Primarily on Genes

Are Microevolution and Macroevolution Governed by the Same Processes?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Governed by the Same Processes

Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Not Governed by the Same Processes: Douglas H. Erwin

Does Evolutionary Developmental Biology Offer a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Evolutionary Developmental Biology Does Offer a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm

Evolutionary Developmental Biology Does Not Offer a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm

Were the Basic Components of the Human Mind Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch

The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Not Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch

Does Memetics Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

Memetics Does Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution

Memetics Does Not Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution: A Developmental Perspective

Can the Biological Sciences Act as a Ground for Ethics?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

The Biological Sciences Can Act as a Ground for Ethics

What the Biological Sciences Can and Cannot Contribute to Ethics

Is There a Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology?

Introduction

References and Further Reading

There Is a Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design in (Philosophy of) Biology: Some Legitimate Roles

There Is No Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design Is Not Science

Index

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