Showing papers on "Philosophy of biology published in 1985"
Book•
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: The authors provides a comprehensive guide to the conceptual methodological, and epistemological problems of biology, and treats in depth the major developments in molecular biology and evolutionary theory that have transformed both biology and its philosophy in recent decades.
Abstract: This book provides a comprehensive guide to the conceptual methodological, and epistemological problems of biology, and treats in depth the major developments in molecular biology and evolutionary theory that have transformed both biology and its philosophy in recent decades. At the same time the work is a sustained argument for a particular philosophy of biology that unifies disparate issues and offers a framework for expectations about the future directions of the life sciences. The argument explores differences between autonomist and anti-autonomist views of biology. The result is a vindication of reductionism, but one that is unexpectedly hollow. For it leaves the exponents of the autonomy of biology from physical science with as much as their view of biology really requires - and rather more than the reductionist might comfortably concede. Professor Rosenberg shows how the problems of the philosophy of biology are interconnected and how their solutions are interdependent, However, this book focuses more on the direct concerns of biologists, rather than the traditional agenda of philosophers' problems about biology. This departure from earlier books on the subject results both in greater understanding and relevance of the philosophy of science to biology as a whole.
525 citations
TL;DR: In this age of modern era, the use of internet must be maximized as mentioned in this paper, as one of the benefits is to get the on-line remarks on the philosophy of psychology book as the world window, as many people suggest.
Abstract: In this age of modern era, the use of internet must be maximized. Yeah, internet will help us very much not only for important thing but also for daily activities. Many people now, from any level can use internet. The sources of internet connection can also be enjoyed in many places. As one of the benefits is to get the on-line remarks on the philosophy of psychology book, as the world window, as many people suggest.
127 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: The 10 original essays in Evolution at a Crossroads explore "post-Kuhnian" approaches to conceptual problems in contemporary evolutionary and developmental theory, focusing in particular on the effect that current, rapid developments in molecular biology are having on understanding of evolution and philosophy of science.
Abstract: The 10 original essays in Evolution at a Crossroads explore "post-Kuhnian" approaches to conceptual problems in contemporary evolutionary and developmental theory. They focus in particular on the effect that current, rapid developments in molecular biology are having on our understanding of evolution and philosophy of science.Philosophy of science has swung widely between the dogmas of logical empiricism and relativism. Evolution at a Crossroads seeks to forge a new synthesis of the two trends to search for a more solid framework for evolutionary biology as well as a more solid philosophy of science. Complementing and extending such anthologies as Elliot Sober's Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology, Robert Brandon's and Richard Burrian's Genes, Organisms, Populations, and Marjorie Grene's Dimensions of Darwinism, this book adds substantially to the emerging and rapidly developing discipline known as "the philosophy of biology."David J. Depew is Professor of Philosophy, and Bruce H. Weber is Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, at California State University, Fullerton. A Bradford Book
99 citations
TL;DR: Throughout his long career in biology Delbruck continued to view himself as a physicist and his address upon winning the Nobel Prize for physiology of medicine in 1969 bore the familiar title, "A Physicist's Renewed Look at Biology: Twenty Years Later."
Abstract: In 1949, at the height of his career in biology, Max Delbruck (19061981) delivered an address at the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences entitled "A Physicist Looks at Biology." He explained to his audience that Niels Bohr's suggestion of the complementarity principle in biology as a counterpart to the complementarity principle in physics, had been the prime motive for his own interest in biology and might play a similar role for other physicists who came into the field of biology.' Throughout his long career in biology Delbruck continued to view himself as a physicist and his address upon winning the Nobel Prize for physiology of medicine in 1969 bore the familiar title, "A Physicist's Renewed Look at Biology: Twenty Years Later."2 Delbruck's rise to leadership in biology appeared to be rapid. Within a decade of his arrival from Berlin he established the foundations of a new field known as phage genetics, generally recognized as one of the most fruitful programs in gene research and a principal turning point in the development of molecular biology. That program, introducing the phage or the bacterial virus as a conceptual model for gene action and incorporating the analytical tools of mathematical physics, offered valuable information on genetic mechanisms. Despite the unorthodox mathematical methods in genetics and the choice of the obscure bacteriophage as a working model, the old establishment of classical geneticists regarded Delbruck's work with great respect and many of its leaders, including T. H. Morgan and H. J. Muller, promoted his research in biology. At the same time, leading physicists like Niels Bohr and Erwin Schrodinger publicized his accomplishments in the physics community with unreserved enthusiasm. By 1946 Delbruck had helped establish Cold Spring Harbor as a major center for molecular genetics; and in 1947, newly appointed as a
38 citations
TL;DR: A number of studies have appeared that examine late-nineteenth-century paleontology, focusing on the challenges posed by paleontologists to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In recent years a number of studies have appeared that examine late-nineteenth-century paleontology. Although these works describe various aspects of the science, they focus on the challenges posed by paleontologists to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Despite the fact that students of the fossil record accepted the phenomenon of evolution and worked to document its occurrence, only a handful embraced natural selection as the principal cause of evolution.' Others who addressed the subject advanced a variety of theories, primarily versions of neo-Lamarckism and orthogenesis.3 As a result, one of the central concerns of recent historical studies has been to explain the limited acceptance of Darwinism and the attractiveness of alternatives. In his recent book The Eclipse of Darwinism, Peter Bowler states the problem succinctly. Noting that paleontologists of the period constructed phylogenies that subordinated divergence and thus denied the natural selection of random variations, Bowler asks, "What motivation could have led them to ignore the possibility of concealed irregularities and to arrange the limited number of specimens in their possession into neat, regular patterns?" 3 Although scholars such as Bowler, Stephen Jay Gould, and Adrian Desmond have each answered that question somewhat differently, all agree that a commitment to philosophical idealism played a major
19 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: The concept of experimental error comprises intertwined elements of conceptual and physical origins as discussed by the authors, which form an obstacle that may obstruct the experimenter from reaching his goal, that is, the attainment of knowledge.
Abstract: This thesis is concerned with the concept of experimental error. It considers the occurrence of error an epistemological phenomenon which stands in the way of attaining knowledge. The concept of experimental error comprises intertwined elements of conceptual and physical origins. These elements form an obstacle that may obstruct the experimenter from reaching his goal, that is, the attainment of knowledge. The prime objective of the thesis is to throw light on such obstacles. It questions the conclusiveness of experimental results by exposing the conceptual and physical difficulties which attend the execution of an experiment. However, the thesis underlines the positive feature of this concept, namely, that the comprehension of an error may contribute to knowledge. The thesis holds that the mathematical theory of error avoids conceptual discussions, and conceals the physical elements of experimental error under the mathematical cloak of abstractions. The mathematical theory of error is solely concerned with rendering the experimental error amenable to mathematical analysis and calculation. As the thesis seeks a comprehensive view of the concept of experimental error, it does not follow the mathematical approach. By way of introduction, the thesis juxtaposes several approaches towards the epistemological problem of error. It outlines the views of Aristotle, Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza and others, and concludes with Wittgenstein's instructive suggestion of distinguishing between the different ways in which something 'turns out wrong'. The thesis then focuses on the problem of experimental error by contrasting the approach of the Greek astronomers towards this problem with that of Kepler. An account of Kepler's explicit and comprehensive awareness of the problem of experimental error an account which includes a study of his Astronomia Nova ath his work on optics serves as a background against which the thesis introduces a classification of different types of experimental error. This classification consists of four categories: background theory; assumptions concerning the actual set-up and its working; observational reports; and theoretical conclusions. The thesis then proceeds to illustrate the classification with several case-studies of experiments. It deals mainly with the following: R.A. Millikan's and F. Ehrenhaft's measurements of the charge of the electron; H. Hertz's experiment on the deflection of cathode rays in an electric field; R. Blondlot's so-called discovery of N rays; and J. Franck's and G. Hertz's experiment on the quantized spectrum of the atom's energy levels. In the final section, the thesis presents Kaufmann's experiment in its historical setting and contrasts some of the principal responses it received. The varied responses illustrate how the detection of an experimental error and its characterization depend on the philosophical outlook one holds.
18 citations
TL;DR: Williams as discussed by the authors is an associate professor of life and health sciences and of philosophy at the University of Delaware, and has published articles in mathematical biology and in philosophy of biology with a focus on evolutionary theory.
Abstract: Mary B. Wi I iams Mary B. Williams (Center for Science and Culture, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716) is an associate professor of life and health sciences and of philosophy at the University of Delaware. She received her Ph.D. in mathematical biology at the University of London, and has published articles in mathematical biology and in philosophy of biology. Her specialty is evolutionary theory.
17 citations
17 citations
TL;DR: Three deductedive methods for explanation of living structure in animal morphology are proposed: the parts, the compromise, and the transformation deduction, which show clearly the high explanatory power of deductive methods in morphology.
Abstract: Classical temples in ancient Greece show two deterministic illusionistic principles of architecture, which govern their functional design: geometric proportional i am and a set of illusion-strengthening rules in the proportionalism’s “stochastic margin”. Animal morphology, in its mechanistic deductive revival, applies just one architectural principle, which is not always satisfactory. Whether a “Greek Classical” situation occurs in the architecture of living structure is to be investigated by extreme testing with deductive methods.
TL;DR: The author has worked on the development of exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and is currently doing research in the foundations of multi-level selection theory, representations of scientific reasoning, and the institutional history of biology.
Abstract: Jim Griesemer Jim Griesemer, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Univ. of Califomia, Davis, CA 95616, did his undergraduate work in genetics at the Univ. of Califomia at Berkeley. There he became interested in the foundations evolutionary theory, going on to a master's in biology and a Ph.D. in the Committee on Conceptual Foundations of Science of the Univ. of Chicago. He has worked on the development of exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and is currently doing research in the foundations of multi-level selection theory, representations of scientific reasoning, and the institutional history of biology.
Dissertation•
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: This thesis examines the nature of biological species, and argues that species are real, that are entities for which questions of identity make sense, and turns to two biological views numerical taxonomy and neo-Darwinism which claim that biological theories can dispense with species terms.
Abstract: This thesis examines the nature of biological species, and argues that species are real. The thesis starts with a descriptive account of species drawn from biology. This includes taxonomic views, theories of spéciation and theories in ecology. In this chapter a particular definition of species, ‘the biospecies’, is reached. The thesis continues in Chapter Two with a philosophical account of species, which aims at reaching an understanding of the kind of entities species are. The chapter concludes that species are natural kinds, but not as traditionally construed. Chapter Three looks closely at the use biologists make of species terms, and argues that biological theories are committed to such terms. That species terms cannot be dispensed with in biological statements indicates that species are real. If species are real, they are entities for which questions of identity make sense. Chapter Four reviews different criteria for the individuation and identity of species. All the criteria are found to suffer from problems of vagueness. In view of the difficulty of providing criteria for species identity, the thesis turns in the fifth chapter to two biological views numerical taxonomy and neo-Darwinismwhich claim that biological theories can dispense with species terms. But a look at these reductive theories shows that one loses a certain measure of explanation if species are dispensed with. In the light of the failure of the reductive theories, a fresh attempt is made in Chapter Six at giving a criterion for species sameness. This last chapter also serves as a general conclusion to the thesis.
TL;DR: In this paper, the limits of falsificationism are discussed and the historically based models of science described by Lakatos and Kuhn are shown to offer greater insights into the practice of science.
Abstract: Popper's concept of falsificationism is often stated to be central to science. Although this concept is widely accepted, it cannot be justified philosophically. The limits of falsificationism are discussed and the historically based models of science described by Lakatos and Kuhn are shown to offer greater insights into the practice of science. The theory of natural selection is used to relate biology to philosophy and scientific method.
TL;DR: The poetry of Homer, Virgil, Dante, Goethe or Baudelaire has always been an authentic poetry, attaining the heights of absolute value and even at times being incomparable, all the while recognizing that to understand this poetry, to appreciate its nobility and penetrate its meaning the effort must be made to put it within its historical context (and ideally to put oneself within that context) rather than
Abstract: a &dquo;historical consciousness&dquo;, with practically only one exception, that of science. No one finds it difficult to admit that the poetry of Homer, Virgil, Dante, Goethe or Baudelaire has always been an authentic poetry, attaining the heights of absolute value and even at times being incomparable, all the while recognizing that to understand this poetry, to appreciate its nobility and penetrate its meaning the effort must be made to put it within its historical context (and ideally to put oneself within that context) rather than
Book•
01 Jun 1985
TL;DR: A condition is the on that will make you feel that you must read as discussed by the authors, which is the condition that reading is a need and a hobby at the same time, and this condition can be found here.
Abstract: Some people may be laughing when looking at you reading in your spare time. Some may be admired of you. And some may want be like you who have reading hobby. What about your own feel? Have you felt right? Reading is a need and a hobby at once. This condition is the on that will make you feel that you must read. If you know are looking for the book enPDFd the philosophy of development revisited as the choice of reading, you can find here.
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: Biology is neither an autonomous science nor a mere application of physics and chemistry: it is a peculiar science rooted to physics and Chemistry, much as chemistry is a distinct science based on physics.
Abstract: Biology is a science like any other factual science in that it studies concrete things using scrutable methods — in particular the experimental method — in order to understand its objects of study. However, this commonality of biology with the other factual research fields does not confirm reductionism, for biologists happen to study very peculiar things, namely living beings. Therefore biology is a very special science. True, contemporary biology, unlike traditional natural history, makes intensive use of physics and chemistry. (It is even suspected that some biologists hardly see any living things other than their fellow human beings.) Still, biology has problems of its own, such as accounting for the specific functions of the various organs; it has concepts of its own, such as that of inheritance, and peculiar techniques, such as DNA splicing and recombination. In short, biology is neither an autonomous science nor a mere application of physics and chemistry: it is a peculiar science rooted to physics and chemistry, much as chemistry is a distinct science based on physics (Ch. 2, Sect. 7.2.).
TL;DR: Professor Marjorie Grene's major works include: Dimensions of Darwinism: Themes and Counterthemes in Twentieth Century Evolutionary Theory (1983); Topics in Philosophical Biology (1975); The Understanding of Nature: Essays in the Philosophy of Biology (1974); Interpretations of Life and Mind (1971); Approaches to a Philosophy of biology (1969).
Abstract: While Professor Marjorie Grene has written many books on philosophy, she describes herself primarily as a teacher Her major works include: Dimensions of Darwinism: Themes and Counterthemes in Twentieth Century Evolutionary Theory (1983); Topics in Philosophical Biology (1975); The Understanding of Nature: Essays in the Philosophy of Biology (1974); Interpretations of Life and Mind (1971); Approaches to a Philosophy of Biology (1969); The Knower and the Known (1966); A Portrait of Aristotle (1963); Dreadful Freedom (1948); Sartre (1973); and Heidegger (1957) In addition she has edited several other books and translated another Reviews of her Sartre book read: "This is the best book in English about Sartre as a philosopher" "Her study is not matched by any other in its comprehensiveness linked with critical appraisal" [Hers] "is an attractive as well as an ambitious philosophy, in so far as it seeks to refute the modern belief in man's alienation as a thinking being from his own body and from the physical world" "Grene, herself a student of both Heidegger and Jaspers in Germany as well as a participant in Carnap's research seminars at the University of Chicago, brings a critical and independent perspective to the present dogmatic stalemate between the analytical and continental camps Grene, with her insight into both the high and low points of continental thought, as well as in her criticism of certain Anglo-American empiricist dogmas, presents an excellent example of this openness at work" And, finally, my favorite: "Although Professor Grene rather modestly avows that this melange might better be called 'philosophical journalism' than 'philosophy,' to do so would overlook the broad philosophical culture which it incarnates and the often profound insights into recent European thinkers which it affords" Whether she sees herself modestly as primarily a teacher or a philosophical journalist matters little because we know her to be a significant philosMarjorie Grene