Philosophy Of BiologyPerhaps because of it implications for our understanding of human nature, recent philosophy of biology has seen what might be the most dramatic work in the philosophies of the ”special” sciences. This drama has centered on evolutionary theory, and in the second edition of this textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important issues of these developments. With a rare combination of technical sophistication and clarity of expression, Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance. |
Contents
What Is Evolutionary Theory? | 1 |
Suggestions for Further Reading | 26 |
3 | 57 |
Copyright | |
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adaptationism adaptationist ALLD alleles altruism ancestor assumptions behavior biologists breeding population causal cause character characteristics cladistic claim consider copulation correlation creationists Darwin Dawkins describe design argument design hypothesis environment ethical ethical subjectivism evolution by natural evolutionary biology evolutionary taxonomy evolutionary theory evolve example explanation fact falsifiable favor Figure fitness fitter fittest fixation function gametes ganisms gene frequency genetic genotype group selection heterozygote homoplasy human idea individuals inference intelligent design land heads Lewontin Likelihood Principle lineage living things males mating mean monophyletic monophyletic group mutation natural selection objects observation offspring optimal organism's organisms overall similarity pair parents parsimony pattern percent phenetic phenotype philosophical phylogenetic physical plausible Popper's predictions probability problem produce properties proposition question random reason reproductive running speed scientific Section selfish sex ratio sexual Simpson's paradox sociobiology species concept statement Suppose taxa thesis tion trait true units of selection variation zebras