Philosophy of biology
| Abstract | Philosophy of biology is a vibrant and growing field. From initial roots in the metaphysics of species (Ghiselin, Hull), questions about whether biology has laws of nature akin to those of physics (Ruse, Hull), and discussions of teleology and function (Grene 1974, Brandon 1981), the field has grown since the 1970s to include a vast range of topics. Over the last few decades, philosophy has had an important impact on biology, partly through following the model of engagement with science that was set by first-wave philosophers of biology like Marjorie Grene, Morton Beckner, David Hull, William Wimsatt and others. Today some parts of philosophy of biology are indistinguishable from theoretical biology. This is due in part to the impetus provided by second-wave philosophers of biology like James Griesemer, John Beatty, William Bechtel, Robert Brandon, Elisabeth Lloyd, and Elliott Sober. Indeed, philosophers have been instrumental in establishing theoretical biology as a field by collaborating with scientists, publishing in science journals, and by taking up conceptual questions at the heart of the biological enterprise. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,672 |
| External links |
  Try with proxy. |
| Through your library | Only published papers are available at libraries |
Similar books and articlesJames G. Lennox (2001). Aristotle's Philosophy of Biology: Studies in the Origins of Life Science. Cambridge University Press.
James G. Lennox (1984). Marjorie Grene, Aristotle's Philosophy of Science and Aristotle's Biology. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1984:365 - 377.
Elliott Sober (1997). Two Outbreaks of Lawlessness in Recent Philosophy of Biology. Philosophy of Science 64 (4):467.
David L. Hull (2002). Recent Philosophy of Biology: A Review. Acta Biotheoretica 50 (2).
Matt Gers (2011). The Long Reach of Philosophy of Biology. Biology and Philosophy 26 (3):439-447.
William Morton Wheeler (1939/1967). Essays in Philosophical Biology. New York, Russell & Russell.
Marjorie Grene (2004). The Philosophy of Biology: An Episodic History. Cambridge University Press.
Paul E. Griffiths (2000). David Hull's Natural Philosophy of Science. Biology and Philosophy 15 (3).
David L. Hull & Michael Ruse (eds.) (2007). The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology. Cambridge University Press.
David L. Hull & Michael Ruse (eds.) (1998). The Philosophy of Biology. Oxford University Press.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-11-02Total downloads80 ( #9,713 of 549,065 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,185 of 549,065 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
