The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology

A team of experts examine one of the most exciting new areas in philosophy.

David L. Hull (Edited by), Michael Ruse (Edited by)

9780521851282, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 October 2007

544 pages
23.4 x 15.5 x 3.6 cm, 0.842 kg

'For those key topics addresses, the Companion is filled with lively contributions that inform - and raise questions in equal measure.' Network Review

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.

Introduction David L. Hull and Michael Ruse
1. Adaptation Tim Lewens
2. Population genetics Roberta L. Millstein and Robert A. Skipper
3. Units and levels of selection Elisabeth A. Lloyd
4. What's wrong with the emergenist statistical interpretation of natural selection and random drift Robert N. Brandon and Grant Ramsey
5. Gene Paul E. Griffiths and Karola Stotz
6. Information in biology Peter Godfrey-Smith
7. Reductionism (and antireductionism) in biology Alexander Rosenberg
8. Mechanisms and models Lindley Darden
9. Teleology Andre Ariew
10. Macroevolution, minimalism, and radiation of the animals Kim Sterelny
11. Philosophy and phylogenetics: historical and current connections Maureen Kearney
12. Human evolution: the three grand challenges of human biology Francisco J. Ayala
13. Varieties of evolutionary psychology David J. Buller
14. Neurobiology Valerie Gray Hardcastle
15. Biology explanations of human sexuality: the genetic basis of sexual orientation Christopher Horvath
16. Game theory in evolutionary biology Zachary Ernst
17. What is an 'embryo' and how do we know it? Jane Maienschein
18. Evolutionary developmental biology Manfred D. Laubichler
19. Molecular and systems biology and bioethics Jason Scott Robert
20. Ecology Gregory M. Mikkelson
21. From ecological diversity to biodiversity Sohotra Sarkar
22. Biology and religion Robert T. Pennock
23. The moral grammar of narratives in history of biology: the case of Haeckel and Nazi biology Robert J. Richards.

Subject Areas: Biology, life sciences [PS], Philosophy of science [PDA], Philosophy of religion [HRAB], History [HB]