Philosophy of Experimental Biology

This book explores some central philosophical issues concerning scientific research in experimental biology.

Marcel Weber (Author)

9780521143448, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 June 2010

376 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.55 kg

Review of the hardback: 'Marcel Weber's book is extremely interesting. It overviews a huge spectrum of viewpoints and case studies and surely represents a precious account of the state of art of the philosophy of experimental biology. An aspect that … enriches [the reading] … is Weber's attempt to always furnish his personal, often distinctive viewpoint.' History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

Philosophy of Experimental Biology explores some central philosophical issues concerning scientific research in experimental biology, including genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, and microbiology. It seeks to make sense of the explanatory strategies, concepts, ways of reasoning, approaches to discovery and problem solving, tools, models and experimental systems deployed by scientific life science researchers and also integrates developments in historical scholarship, in particular the New Experimentalism. It concludes that historical explanations of scientific change that are based on local laboratory practice need to be supplemented with an account of the epistemic norms and standards that are operative in science. This book should be of interest to philosophers and historians of science as well as to scientists.

Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Reductionism and the nature of explanations
3. Discovery: solving biological problems
4. Scientific inference: testing hypotheses
5. Experimental systems: a life of their own?
6. Model organisms: of flies and elephants
7. Reference and conceptual change: out of Mendel's garden?
8. Developmental biology and the genetic program: explaining ontogeny
9. Scientific realism: in search of the truth
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Biology, life sciences [PS], Philosophy of science [PDA]