Read complete books and articles on: Philosophy of Biology

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15 of the Best Books and Articles on: Philosophy of Biology

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Philosophy of Biology » Read Now
by Elliott Sober. 238 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY SECOND EDITION Also by Elliott...Keith Lehrer, Editors Philosophy of Biology , Second Edition , Elliott Sober...edited by Barbara Von Eckardt...
2.

Cell and Psyche: The Biology of Purpose » Read Now
by Edmund W. Sinnott. 124 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
3.

The Philosophy of a Biologist » Read Now
by J. S. Haldane. 158 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

...II. PHILOSOPHY AND BIOLOGY 29...recognition of biology by...Biology and the Kantian...III. PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY...as a mark of conscious...II PHILOSOPHY AND BIOLOGY IT...
4.

The Mechanistic Conception of Life: Biological Essays » Read Now
by Jacques Loeb. 232 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...into harmony with the results of scientific biology. It is seemingly often taken...McKeen Cattell. Mendels law of heredity . Biology as far as it is based on these...exact...
5.

The Sacred Depths of Nature » Read Now
by Ursula Goodenough. 197 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

For many of us, the great scientific discoveries of the modern age--the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, relativity-- point to an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, pointless. But in The Sacred Depths of Nature, eminent biologist Ursula Goodenough shows us that the scientific world...
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For many of us, the great scientific discoveries of the modern age--the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, relativity-- point to an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, pointless. But in The Sacred Depths of Nature, eminent biologist Ursula Goodenough shows us that the scientific world view need not be a source of despair. Indeed, it can be a wellspring of solace and hope. This eloquent volume reconciles the modern scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity. Looking at topics such as evolution, emotions, sexuality, and death, Goodenough writes with rich, uncluttered detail about the workings of nature in general and of living creatures in particular. Her luminous clarity makes it possible for even non-scientists to appreciate that the origins of life and the universe are no less meaningful because of our increasingly scientific understanding of them. At the end of each chapter, Goodenough's spiritual reflections respond to the complexity of nature with vibrant emotional intensity and a sense of reverent wonder. A beautifully written celebration of molecular biology with meditations on the spiritual and religious meaning that can be found at the heart of science, this volume makes an important contribution to the ongoing dialog between science and religion. This book will engage anyone who was ever mesmerized--or terrified--by the mysteries of existence.
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6.

Nature and Man's Fate » Read Now
by Garrett Hardin. 375 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...was supposed to understand the philosophy of science better than anyone else...delight in the trashy skimmings of philosophy; and we venture to affirm that...to all the...
7.

Toward an Integrated Approach to Aristotle as a Biological Philosopher, in The Review of Metaphysics » Read Now
by Sophia M. Connell. 26 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...understanding of the importance of biology in Aristotles philosophy. (1) Despite a certain...biological texts to Aristotles philosophy, scholars of the biology no doubt...
8.

Human Nature and Biological Nature in Mencius, in Philosophy East & West » Read Now
by Irene Bloom. 12 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...modern in preserving biology and religion unsundered...There is a wealth of evidence in the...furthering the enterprise of comparative philosophy by drawing...
9.

Lifelines: Biology beyond Determinism » Read Now
by Steven Rose. 338 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Reductionism--understanding complex processes by breaking them into simpler elements--dominates scientific thinking around the world and has certainly proved a powerful tool, leading to major discoveries in every field of science. But reductionism can be taken too far, especially in the life...
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Reductionism--understanding complex processes by breaking them into simpler elements--dominates scientific thinking around the world and has certainly proved a powerful tool, leading to major discoveries in every field of science. But reductionism can be taken too far, especially in the life sciences, where sociobiological thinking has bordered on biological determinism. Thus popular science writers such as Richard Dawkins, author of the highly influential The Selfish Gene, can write that human beings are just "robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes." Indeed, for many in science, genes have become the fundamental unit for understanding human existence: genes determine every aspect of our lives, from personal success to existential despair: genes for health and illness, genes for criminality, violence, and sexual orientation. Others would say that this is reductionism with a vengeance. In Lifelines, biologist Steven Rose offers a powerful alternative to the ultradarwinist claims of Dawkins, E.O. Wilson, Daniel Dennett and others. Rose argues against an extreme reductionist approach that would make the gene the key to understanding human nature, in favor of a more complex and richer vision of life. He urges instead that we focus on the organism and in particular on the organism's lifeline: the trajectory it takes through time and space. Our personal lifeline, Rose points out, is unique--even identical twins, with identical genes at birth, will differ over time. These differences are obviously not embedded in our genes, but come about through our developmental trajectory in which genes, as part of the biochemical orchestra of trillions of cells in each human body, have an important part--but only a part--to play. To illustrate this idea, Rose examines recent research in modern biology, and especially two disciplines--genetics (which looks at the impact of genes on form) and developmental biology (which examines the interaction between the organism and the environment)--and he explores new ideas on biological complexity proposed by scientists such as Stuart Kauffman. He shows how our lifelines are constructed through the interplay of physical forces--such as the intrinsic chemistry of lipids and proteins, and the self-organizing and stabilizing properties of complex metabolic webs--and he reaches a startling conclusion: that organisms are active players in their own fate, not simply the playthings of the gods, nature, or the inevitable workings out of gene-driven natural selection. The organism is both the weaver and the pattern it weaves. Lifelines will be a rallying point for all who seek an alternative to the currently fashionable, deeply determinist accounts which dominate popular science writing and, in fact, crowd the pages of some of the major scientific journals. Based on solid, state-of-the-art research, it not only makes important contributions to our understanding of Darwin and natural selection, but will swing the pendulum back to a richer, more complex view of human nature and of life.
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10.

Biology and Language: An Introduction to the Methodology of the Biological Sciences, Including Medicine » Read Now
by J. H. Woodger. 364 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...to hear. King Henry VI, Part 2 , IV, vii. -2- LECTURE I 1. BIOLOGY AND THE BOOLE-FREGE MOVEMENT It is the duty of Tamer lecturers to discuss the Philosophy of the Sciences...
11.

The Evolution of Reason: Logic as a Branch of Biology » Read Now
by William S. Cooper. 226 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

The formal systems of logic have ordinarily been regarded as independent of biology, but recent developments in evolutionary theory suggest that biology and logic may be intimately interrelated. In this book, William S. Cooper outlines a theory of rationality in which logical law emerges as an...
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The formal systems of logic have ordinarily been regarded as independent of biology, but recent developments in evolutionary theory suggest that biology and logic may be intimately interrelated. In this book, William S. Cooper outlines a theory of rationality in which logical law emerges as an intrinsic aspect of evolutionary biology. He examines the connections between logic and evolutionary biology and illustrates how logical rules are derived directly from evolutionary principles, and therefore, have no independent status of their own. This biological perspective on logic, though at present unorthodox, could change traditional ideas about the reasoning process.
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12.

What Functions Explain: Functional Explanation and Self-Reproducing Systems » Read Now
by Peter McLaughlin. 259 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

This book offers an examination of functional explanation as it is used in biology and the social sciences, and focuses on the kinds of philosophical presuppositions that such explanations carry with them. McLaughlin gives a critical review of the debate on functional explanation in the philosophy...
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This book offers an examination of functional explanation as it is used in biology and the social sciences, and focuses on the kinds of philosophical presuppositions that such explanations carry with them. McLaughlin gives a critical review of the debate on functional explanation in the philosophy of science that has occurred over the past fifty years. He discusses the history of the philosophical question of teleology, and provides a comprehensive review of the postwar literature on functional explanation. The book provides a sophisticated and detailed Aristotelian analysis of our concept of natural functions, and offers a positive contribution to the ongoing debate on the topic.
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13.

The Growth of Biological Thought: Diversity, Evolution, and Inheritance » Read Now
by Ernst Mayr. 974 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
14.

The Universe and Life » Read Now
by H. S. Jennings. 98 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library
15.

The Physical Foundation of Biology: An Analytical Study » Read Now
by Walter M. Elsasser. 219 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library