Preface; 1. Realism and essentialism about kinds; 2. The naturalness of kinds; 3. Kinds in the special sciences; 4. Kinds in the biological and social sciences; 5. Kinds of natural kinds; 6. Naturalising kinds.
Muhammad Ali Khalidi proposes a new approach to classifications in the natural and social sciences, avoiding essentialism and social constructionism.
Muhammad Ali Khalidi is Associate Professor of Philosophy at York University, Toronto.
'Muhammad Ali Khalidi has given us the best articulated treatment
to date of a flexible, naturalistic approach to natural kinds. His
wide-ranging treatment of kinds in the special sciences is
especially noteworthy. Moreover, the book is so well written that
it works well as an introduction to this difficult topic area as
well as providing plenty of stimulation for seasoned professionals.
It will surely be at the center of future discussion among
scientific philosophers and philosophical scientists.' Tom Nickles,
University of Nevada, Reno
'[Natural Categories and Human Kinds] is to my mind the most
up-to-date, comprehensive, and interesting book-length treatment of
natural kinds available today. Both newcomers to this area of
inquiry and seasoned veterans will doubtless benefit from its
study. Khalidi's straightforward prose and careful argument makes
the book a pleasure to read and think about; his patient
stage-setting and summary make it an excellent option for advanced
undergraduate courses in the philosophy of science.' Matthew H.
Slater, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
'… this seems to me the best general treatment of natural kinds for
many years. It provides an important contribution to the general
naturalistic trend of contemporary philosophy of science. It is
always clearly written and clearly argued, and it would provide an
excellent basis for seminars on its topic at levels up to the
postgraduate … I suspect it will reinvigorate discussion of what
will continue to be seen as a central topic in philosophy of
science and metaphysics.' John Dupré, Mind
'… Khalidi's book in several respects is an important addition to
the literature on natural kinds, and required reading for anyone
working on the topic. Foremost, it introduces a novel account of
kinds that … is a considerable step forward from the popular
'homeostatic property cluster' account and should make a good
starting point for further work. Also, it is a rich resource of
examples of putative natural kinds from very diverse areas of
natural and social science. Finally, the book provides excellent
discussions of the spectrum of philosophical issues that occupy
center stage in the recent literature on natural kinds, and
provides convincing rebuttals to arguments that say natural kinds
are not found in the special sciences.' Thomas Reydon,
Metascience
'… let me commend Khalidi's book to readers interested in
scientific taxonomy and natural kinds. It does an excellent job
both of working through general, conceptual issues to craft a
useful philosophical conception and of deploying that conception to
think through a wide range of specific examples.' P. D. Magnus,
Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical
Sciences
'The book has meticulous arguments for the theses proposed and
meticulous considerations of the possible counterarguments and
objections. Moreover, [it] is concisely and densely written. The
user-friendly Preface contains an overview of the argument in each
of the six chapters … [this] book is of great value in providing a
novel approach to naturalism and a theory of scientific realism
that involves enlightening discussions of various theories and
cases in the sciences. Moreover, those who have alternative
accounts of naturalism that are reductionist, that reject natural
kinds, or that reject causality need to take seriously the
arguments for natural kinds, causation, and scientific realism that
are presented in this book.' Sheldon Richmond, Philosophy of the
Social Sciences
'Philosophers and scientists on either side of the fence, whether
of naturalist or social constructionist persuasion, will find
plenty of material to sink their teeth into in Khalidi's
delightfully argued and wide-ranging treatment of natural kinds …
We can … only commend Khalidi for his valiant attempt at restoring
the notion of natural kinds to the central place within philosophy
where it belongs.' Georg Theiner, Journal for General Philosophy of
Science
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