1. Why should biologists care about philosophy of science? Tobias Uller and Kostas Kampourakis; 2. What constitutes an explanation in biology? Angela Potochnik; 3. What is biological knowledge? Kevin McCain; 4. What is the nature of theories and models in biology? Emily Parke and Anya Plutynski; 5. How are biology concepts used and transformed? Ingo Brigandt; 6. Why does it matter that many biology concepts are metaphors? Kostas Kampourakis; 7. How do concepts contribute to scientific advancement? Evolutionary biology as a case study David Depew; 8. How can conceptual analysis contribute to scientific practice? The case of cultural evolution Tim Lewens; 9. What methods do life scientists use? A brief history with philosophical implications Erik L. Peterson; 10. Is it possible to scientifically reconstruct the history of life on earth? The biological sciences and deep time Carol Cleland; 11. What is the basis of biological classification? The search for natural systems Thomas Reydon; 12. What is the nature of scientific controversies in the biological sciences? Michael R. Dietrich; 13. What is the relation between facts and values in biological science? Biology in society Carrie Friese and Barbara Prainsack; 14. A philosopher in the age of creationism: What have I learned after fifty years doing philosophy of biology that I want to pass on to biologists Michael Ruse; 15. How can we teach philosophy of science to biologists? Kostas Kampourakis and Tobias Uller.
A short and accessible introduction to philosophy of science for students and researchers across the life sciences.
Kostas Kampourakis is the author and editor of books about evolution, genetics, philosophy, and history of science, and the editor of the Cambridge book series Understanding Life. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science & Education, and the book series Science: Philosophy, History and Education. He is currently a researcher at the University of Geneva, where he also teaches at the Section of Biology and the University Institute for Teacher Education (http://kampourakis.com). Tobias Uller is Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Lund University, Sweden. He works on the relationships between development, heredity and evolution, using an integrative approach guided by mathematical modelling and conceptual analysis. He has held fellowships in the UK, the USA, and Sweden, and was the 2018 recipient of the Tage Erlander Prize, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science for research in Natural Sciences and Technology.
'As a philosopher and a biologist I have been waiting for a long
time for a book like this to come out. My students will learn a lot
from it.' Massimo Pigliucci, K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy,
City College of New York
'Philosophy of Science for Biologists is a much-awaited book
written for biologists, mainly for curious and open-minded biology
students. Presenting a broad spectrum of perspectives and many
fascinating examples from all areas of biology, the fifteen essays
in this book offer a broad and exciting vista of biological ideas,
their scope, their ambitions and their potential prejudices. The
essays illustrate how a multiplicity of perspectives and
methodologies can be combined to answer difficult questions,
encouraging cooperation, healthy skepticism and necessary optimism.
It should be the basis of an obligatory course for all biology
students.' Eva Jablonka, Cohn Institute for the History and
Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University
'Historically, few biologists have recognized the valuable
contributions that philosophy could make to their field. Finally,
that is starting to change. In this landmark collection of essays
from leading thinkers, Kampourakis and Uller provide the clearest
summary yet of the philosophy that biologists really need to know
if they want to be outstanding scientists who see the bigger
picture.' Kevin N. Laland, Professor of Behavioural and
Evolutionary Biology, University of St Andrews
'Biologists do not simply uncover knowledge about the natural
world, they build it, using concepts and classification schemes to
frame their observations and experimental tests, and sifting the
results so as to explain certain aspects of that enormously complex
world. In this unusual volume, Uller and Kampourakis - a leading
evolutionary biologist, and an accomplished critic of science and
science education - call on biologists to carefully examine not
just what they think, but how they think, by directly engaging with
the philosophical issues that are imbedded in their scientific
practice. The book will be of unique value to working biologists
who seek to clarify their scientific aims and sharpen their
concepts, research approaches, and analytical tools.' Sonia E.
Sultan, Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Connecticut
'… offers a collection of essays written by philosophy inclined
scientists and science-minded philosophers who foster close
connections to practicing scientists … The volume is not only a
collection of several articles that can be read separately as
introductory readings to a particular topic, there is also merit in
reading this volume front to back. The contents are arranged
carefully and communicate with each other by directly referencing
other works in the volume and by implicitly establishing continuity
across the chapters … [It] will come in handy for everyone looking
for well-written, accessible introductions to some of the most
exciting topics in the philosophy of biology.' Sophie Juliane
Veigl, Acta Biotheoretica
'... authors, make their case for the utility of the philosophy of
science to the diverse community of students, teachers, and
researchers pursuing careers in biology. The perspective is
invigorating, offering insights to help biologists refine their
thinking, even in fields with which they are most knowledgeable,
and in particular to enhance how they might communicate science
more effectively to a broader audience. This work celebrates the
achievements, significance, and the potential of the biological
sciences and is well worth reading.' Z. B. Johnson, Choice
'… Philosophy of Science for Biologists delivers on its promise of
presenting a highly readable, up-to-date overview of contemporary
philosophy of science for biologists. Moreover, some of its
chapters offer good contextualized case studies that could also be
used for teaching philosophy of biology to philosophers.' Guido I.
Prieto, Journal for General Philosophy of Science
'… the editors assembled a 'dream-team' of experts in philosophy of
biology to write accessible overviews of their specialized research
topics that can be read in one sitting and can be used as assigned
readings to facilitate discussion… Since each essay has a narrow
focus on a particular problem, the volume manages to strike an
impressive balance between breadth and depth… The essays are clear
and accessible, and yet, admirably, they do not sacrifice
philosophical precision and rigor. As a result, many of the essays
turn out to be engaging overviews for philosophers and
non-philosophers alike. The volume also knows its audience the
essays are written to preempt typical 'triggers' that lead
scientists to disregard philosophy, such as that philosophical
thinking is 'too abstract,' or that it is merely for idle hours …
Having a resource like this is incredibly useful for initiating
engagement across philosophy and biology, and it is an especially
valuable resource for teaching.' Peter Woodford, Metascience
'… this book is a success … the book by and large achieves its
aims, and could be a base volume for a philosophy pf science course
geared towards biologists. ' Aaron Novick, The Quarterly Review of
Biology
'… I can strongly recommend this book to PhD students as well as
senior scientists, working in all branches of ecology. It nicely
demonstrates that philosophers of science today usually do not
regard themselves as 'guardians over good scientific practice',
ready to set rules on how scientists should do their job. Rather,
the main interest is in understanding how scientific practice
works. The chapters thus provide a great 'view from the outside' …
[it] offers inspiring insights into hot topics of philosophy of
science with high relevance also for ecologists. And the presumably
most convincing advantage of it being an edited volume is that you
could start with any one chapter that seems interesting - then,
most likely, you will want to read more.' Tina Heger, Basic and
Applied Ecology
'… Philosophy of Science for Biologists and the collection as a
whole will come in handy for everyone looking for well-written,
accessible introductions to some of the most exciting topics in the
philosophy of biology. The ideas conveyed can undoubtedly be
helpful for aspiring biologists.' Sophie Juliane Veigl, Acta
Biotheoretica
'… will be interesting for students and specialists alike.' Peter
Woodford, Metascience
'Although philosophically minded, the editors of this volume are
primarily biologists, while most of the fifteen chapters are
written by philosophers … an informative and sometimes inspiring
read. It is probably fair to say that evolutionary biology is the
pet subject of philosophers of biology, and there is plenty about
evolution to be found in its 300 + pages, but I was glad to see
that the scope is much wider than that. Many of the topics covered
are classical philosophy of science … The presentation, however, is
always tailored to the needs of biologists in that the examples
chosen to illustrate philosophical claims are explicitly
biological, from paleontology to genetics, and from cultural
evolution to Alzheimer's disease … Overall, the book will be
interesting and relevant reading for biologists, but also
philosophers with a serious interest in biology.' Frank E. Zachos,
Philosophy of Science for Biologists
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