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Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology brings together original essays on some of the most hotly debated questions in this lively and fast-moving field. Are species real? Does selection operate primarily on genes? Can the biological sciences act as a ground for ethics? Each of the ten sections introduces a specific issue within philosophy of biology and offers suggestions for further reading. Pairs of newly commissioned essays by leading scholars discuss the central questions in an engaging head-to-head debate. Together, the essays provide an accessible introduction to philosophy of biology, and a springboard to further discussion. Showcasing original arguments for well-defined positions, as well as clear and concise statements of sophisticated philosophical views, this volume is an excellent resource for professional philosophers, biologists, and students alike.
List of contents
Notes on Contributors ix
General Introduction 1
References and Further Reading 7
Part I Is It Possible To Reduce Biological Explanations To Explanations In Chemistry and/or Physics? 13 Introduction 13
References and Further Reading 15
1 It is Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics 19
Evelyn Fox Keller 2 It is Not Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics 32
John Dupré Part II Have Traits Evolved To Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage? 49 Introduction 49
References and Further Reading 51
3 Traits Have Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage 53
Mark Perlman 4 Traits Have Not Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage 72
Robert Cummins and Martin Roth Part III Are Species Real? 87 Introduction 87
References and Further Reading 88
5 Species Are Real Biological Entities 91
Michael F. Claridge 6 Species Are Not Uniquely Real Biological Entities 110
Brent D. Mishler Part IV Does Selection Operate Primarily On Genes? 123 Introduction 123
References and Further Reading 125
7 Selection Does Operate Primarily on Genes: In Defense of the Gene as the Unit of Selection 127
Carmen Sapienza 8 Selection Does Not Operate Primarily on Genes 141
Richard M. Burian Part V Are Microevolution and Macroevolution Governed By the Same Processes? 165 Introduction 165
References and Further Reading 166
9 Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Governed by the Same Processes 169
Michael R. Dietrich 10 Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Not Governed by the Same Processes 180
Douglas H. Erwin Part VI Does Evolutionary Developmental Biology Offer a Significant Challenge To the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm? 195 Introduction 195
References and Further Reading 197
11 Evolutionary Developmental Biology Offers a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm 199
Manfred D. Laubichler 12 Evolutionary Developmental Biology Does Not Offer a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm 213
Alessandro Minelli Part VII Were the Basic Components of the Human Mind Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch? 227 Introduction 227
References and Further Reading 228
13 The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch 231
Valerie G. Starratt and Todd K. Shackelford 14 The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Not Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch 243
Stephen M. Downes Part VIII Does Memetics Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution? 253 Introduction 253
References and Further Reading 254
15 Memetics Does Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution 255
Susan Blackmore 16 Memetics Does Not Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution: A Developmental Perspective 273
William C. Wimsatt Part IX Can the Biological Sciences Act As a Ground For Ethics? 293 Introduction 293
References and Further Reading 295
17 The Biological Sciences Can Act as a Ground for Ethics 297
Michael Ruse 18 What the Biological Sciences Can and Cannot Contribute to Ethics 316
Francisco J. Ayala Part X Is There a Place For Intelligent Design In the Philosophy of Biology? 337 Introduction 337
References and Further Reading 340
19 There is a Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design in (Philosophy of) Biology: Some Legitimate Roles 343
Del Ratzsch 20 There is No Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design is Not Science 364
Francisco J. Ayala Index 391
About the author
Francisco J. Ayala is Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, USA. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2001, he received the National Medal of Science. Ayala has published more than 950 articles and is the author or editor of 31 books. He has been named the Renaissance Man of Evolutionary Biology by
The New York Times.
Robert Arp is an analyst at The Analysis Group, LLC who has interests in philosophy of biology and ontology in the informatics sense. He is the author of
Scenario Visualization:
An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving (2008), and co-editor of
Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology (Blackwell, 2009).
Summary
Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology brings together original essays on some of the most hotly debated questions in this lively and fast-moving field. Pairs of newly-commissioned essays by leading scholars discuss the central questions in an engaging head-to-head debate.
