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Philosophy of Biology

Author : Peter Godfrey-Smith

Publisher : Princeton University Press

Page : 200 pages

File Size : 21,95 MB

Release : 2016-09-06

Category : Science

ISBN : 0691174679

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Book Description

An essential introduction to the philosophy of biology This is a concise, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to the philosophy of biology written by a leading authority on the subject. Geared to philosophers, biologists, and students of both, the book provides sophisticated and innovative coverage of the central topics and many of the latest developments in the field. Emphasizing connections between biological theories and other areas of philosophy, and carefully explaining both philosophical and biological terms, Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses the relation between philosophy and science; examines the role of laws, mechanistic explanation, and idealized models in biological theories; describes evolution by natural selection; and assesses attempts to extend Darwin's mechanism to explain changes in ideas, culture, and other phenomena. Further topics include functions and teleology, individuality and organisms, species, the tree of life, and human nature. The book closes with detailed, cutting-edge treatments of the evolution of cooperation, of information in biology, and of the role of communication in living systems at all scales. Authoritative and up-to-date, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in the important philosophical issues raised by the biological sciences.



Philosophy of Biology

Author :

Publisher : Elsevier

Page : 639 pages

File Size : 24,41 MB

Release : 2007-02-05

Category : Science

ISBN : 0080471242

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Book Description

Philosophy of Biology is a rapidly expanding field. It is concerned with explanatory concepts in evolution, genetics, and ecology. This collection of 25 essays by leading researchers provides an overview of the state of the field. These essays are wholly new; none of them could have been written even ten years ago. They demonstrate how philosophical analysis has been able to contribute to sometimes contested areas of scientific theory making.-Written by internationally acknowledged leaders in the field- Entries make original contributions as well as summarizing state of the art discoveries in the field- Easy to read and understand



Philosophy of Science for Biologists

Author : Kostas Kampourakis

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 341 pages

File Size : 13,76 MB

Release : 2020-09-24

Category : Science

ISBN : 1108491839

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Book Description

A short and accessible introduction to philosophy of science for students and researchers across the life sciences.



The Philosophy of Biology

Author : Kostas Kampourakis

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 765 pages

File Size : 50,47 MB

Release : 2013-06-18

Category : Philosophy

ISBN : 9400765371

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Book Description

This book brings together for the first time philosophers of biology to write about some of the most central concepts and issues in their field from the perspective of biology education. The chapters of the book cover a variety of topics ranging from traditional ones, such as biological explanation, biology and religion or biology and ethics, to contemporary ones, such as genomics, systems biology or evolutionary developmental biology. Each of the 30 chapters covers the respective philosophical literature in detail and makes specific suggestions for biology education. The aim of this book is to inform biology educators, undergraduate and graduate students in biology and related fields, students in teacher training programs, and curriculum developers about the current state of discussion on the major topics in the philosophy of biology and its implications for teaching biology. In addition, the book can be valuable to philosophers of biology as an introductory text in undergraduate and graduate courses.



Toward a New Philosophy of Biology

Author : Ernst Mayr

Publisher : Harvard University Press

Page : 582 pages

File Size : 14,95 MB

Release : 1988

Category : Science

ISBN : 9780674896666

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Book Description

A collection of twenty-eight essays, five previously unpublished, grouped into nine categories: Philosophy, Natural Selection, Adaptation, Darwin, Diversity, Species, Speciation, Macroevolution, and Historical Perspective. The book, Ernst Mayr notes in the Foreword, is an attempt "to strengthen the bridge between biology and philosophy, and point to the new direction in which a new philosophy of biology will move."



The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology

Author : David L. Hull

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 710 pages

File Size : 41,34 MB

Release : 2007-10-01

Category : Science

ISBN : 1139827626

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Book Description

The philosophy of biology is one of the most exciting new areas in the field of philosophy and one that is attracting much attention from working scientists. This Companion, edited by two of the founders of the field, includes newly commissioned essays by senior scholars and up-and-coming younger scholars who collectively examine the main areas of the subject - the nature of evolutionary theory, classification, teleology and function, ecology, and the problematic relationship between biology and religion, among other topics. Up-to-date and comprehensive in its coverage, this unique volume will be of interest not only to professional philosophers but also to students in the humanities and researchers in the life sciences and related areas of inquiry.



Philosophy of Biology Before Biology

Author : Cécilia Bognon-Küss

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 372 pages

File Size : 35,56 MB

Release : 2019-02-11

Category : Social Science

ISBN : 1317227557

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Book Description

The use of the term "biology" to refer to a unified science of life emerged around 1800 (most prominently by scientists such as Lamarck and Treviranus, although scholarship has indicated its usage at least 30-40 years earlier). The interplay between philosophy and natural science has also accompanied the constitution of biology as a science. Philosophy of Biology Before Biology examines biological and protobiological writings from the mid-eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century (from Buffon to Cuvier; Kant to Oken; and Kielmeyer) with two major sets of questions in mind: What were the distinctive conceptual features of the move toward biology as a science? What were the relations and differences between the "philosophical" focus on the nature of living entities, and the "scientific" focus? This insightful volume produces a fresh but also systematic perspective both on the history of biology as a science and on the early versions of, in the 1960s in a post-positivist context, the philosophy of biology. It will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as history of science, philosophy of science and biology.



History And Philosophy Of Biology

Author : Robert H Kretsinger

Publisher : World Scientific Publishing Company

Page : 362 pages

File Size : 39,66 MB

Release : 2015-04-29

Category : Science

ISBN : 9814635065

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Book Description

History and Philosophy of Biology summarizes the major philosophical ideas that have attended the development of science in general and of biology in particular. The book then explores how the techniques and the concepts of the physical sciences have impacted biology. A reductionist approach to biology — anatomy, physiology, genetics — complements the study of evolution by natural selection and an ecological perspective. The final section of the book explores several examples of the influence of science on society, and of society on science.Each of 46 chapters of History and Philosophy of Biology has been or could be the topic of a major tome. The book is unique in that it explores the web of interactions among issues of philosophy, techniques and concepts of the physical sciences, fields of biology, and the diverse relationships between society and science.The book should appeal to readers of Scientific American or the New York Review of Books even if they are not trained biologists. It is a good text, or additional reading, for an advanced undergraduate course treating history and/or philosophy of biology or of science in general.



Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology

Author : Francisco J. Ayala

Publisher : John Wiley & Sons

Page : 440 pages

File Size : 37,13 MB

Release : 2009-11-19

Category : Science

ISBN : 9781444314939

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Book Description

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



Philosophy of Biology

Author : Samir Okasha

Publisher :

Page : 153 pages

File Size : 43,32 MB

Release : 2019

Category : Philosophy

ISBN : 019880699X

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Book Description

Covering some of science's most divisive topics, such as philosophical issues in genetics and evolution, the philosophy of biology also encompasses more traditional philosophical questions, such as free will, essentialism, and nature vs nurture. Here, Samir Okasha outlines the core issues with which contemporary philosophy of biology is engaged.