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Full Product Details

Author:   Francisco J. Ayala (University of California, Irvine, USA) ,  Robert Arp (Independent Researcher)
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   Wiley-Blackwell
Dimensions:   Width: 17.30cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 24.70cm
Weight:   0.771kg
ISBN:  

9781405159999

ISBN 10:   1405159995
Pages:   440
Publication Date:   13 November 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors ix General Introduction 1 References and Further Reading 7 Part I Is It Possible To Reduce Biological Explanations To Explanations In Chemistry and/or Physics? 13 Introduction 13 References and Further Reading 15 1 It is Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics 19 Evelyn Fox Keller 2 It is Not Possible to Reduce Biological Explanations to Explanations in Chemistry and/or Physics 32 John Dupré Part II Have Traits Evolved To Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage? 49 Introduction 49 References and Further Reading 51 3 Traits Have Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage 53 Mark Perlman 4 Traits Have Not Evolved to Function the Way They Do Because of a Past Advantage 72 Robert Cummins and Martin Roth Part III Are Species Real? 87 Introduction 87 References and Further Reading 88 5 Species Are Real Biological Entities 91 Michael F. Claridge 6 Species Are Not Uniquely Real Biological Entities 110 Brent D. Mishler Part IV Does Selection Operate Primarily On Genes? 123 Introduction 123 References and Further Reading 125 7 Selection Does Operate Primarily on Genes: In Defense of the Gene as the Unit of Selection 127 Carmen Sapienza 8 Selection Does Not Operate Primarily on Genes 141 Richard M. Burian Part V Are Microevolution and Macroevolution Governed By the Same Processes? 165 Introduction 165 References and Further Reading 166 9 Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Governed by the Same Processes 169 Michael R. Dietrich 10 Microevolution and Macroevolution Are Not Governed by the Same Processes 180 Douglas H. Erwin Part VI Does Evolutionary Developmental Biology Offer a Significant Challenge To the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm? 195 Introduction 195 References and Further Reading 197 11 Evolutionary Developmental Biology Offers a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm 199 Manfred D. Laubichler 12 Evolutionary Developmental Biology Does Not Offer a Significant Challenge to the Neo-Darwinian Paradigm 213 Alessandro Minelli Part VII Were the Basic Components of the Human Mind Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch? 227 Introduction 227 References and Further Reading 228 13 The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch 231 Valerie G. Starratt and Todd K. Shackelford 14 The Basic Components of the Human Mind Were Not Solidified During the Pleistocene Epoch 243 Stephen M. Downes Part VIII Does Memetics Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution? 253 Introduction 253 References and Further Reading 254 15 Memetics Does Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution 255 Susan Blackmore 16 Memetics Does Not Provide a Useful Way of Understanding Cultural Evolution: A Developmental Perspective 273 William C. Wimsatt Part IX Can the Biological Sciences Act As a Ground For Ethics? 293 Introduction 293 References and Further Reading 295 17 The Biological Sciences Can Act as a Ground for Ethics 297 Michael Ruse 18 What the Biological Sciences Can and Cannot Contribute to Ethics 316 Francisco J. Ayala Part X Is There a Place For Intelligent Design In the Philosophy of Biology? 337 Introduction 337 References and Further Reading 340 19 There is a Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design in (Philosophy of) Biology: Some Legitimate Roles 343 Del Ratzsch 20 There is No Place for Intelligent Design in the Philosophy of Biology: Intelligent Design is Not Science 364 Francisco J. Ayala Index 391

Reviews

A very fine contribution to the pedagogical literature on philosophy of biology. The editors are to be congratulated for the thoughtfulness that went into producing this text. May it gain the wide acceptance it deserves. (Science & Education, March 2010)

"  “All chapters (including the very interesting contributions on the species problem by Claridge and Mishler, as well as the stimulating papers on evolutionary ethics by Ruse and Ayala) serve as an excellent introduction to the most hotly debated topics in the philosophy of biology today.”  (Metascience, 2011)   ""A brief review like this can scarcely do justice to the richness of the ideas discussed in this text or the considerable care that went into its organization. This is, in short, a very fine contribution to the pedagogical literature on philosophy of biology. The editors are to be congratulated for the thoughtfulness that went into producing this text. May it gain the wide acceptance it deserves."" (Science & Education, 2010) ""Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above"". (Choice, 1 November 2010) “Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology is an engaging anthology with many interesting contributions. The strength of the book is the format: two eminent representatives of the biophilosophical community have their say on a pivotal biophilosophical issue.” ( Metapsychology, May 2010) ""A very fine contribution to the pedagogical literature on philosophy of biology. The editors are to be congratulated for the thoughtfulness that went into producing this text. May it gain the wide acceptance it deserves."" (Science & Education, March 2010)"

Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above . (Choice, 1 November 2010) “Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology is an engaging anthology with many interesting contributions. The strength of the book is the format: two eminent representatives of the biophilosophical community have their say on a pivotal biophilosophical issue. (Metapsychology, May 2010) A very fine contribution to the pedagogical literature on philosophy of biology. The editors are to be congratulated for the thoughtfulness that went into producing this text. May it gain the wide acceptance it deserves. (Science & Education, March 2010)

Author Information

Francisco J. Ayala is Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, USA. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2001, he received the National Medal of Science. Ayala has published more than 950 articles and is the author or editor of 31 books. He has been named the Renaissance Man of Evolutionary Biology by The New York Times. Robert Arp is an analyst at The Analysis Group, LLC who has interests in philosophy of biology and ontology in the informatics sense. He is the author of Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving (2008), and co-editor of Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).

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