ABSTRACT
The impact of evolutionary theory on the philosophy of science has been no less profound than its impact on the science of biology itself. Advances in this theory provide a rich set of examples for thinking about the nature of scientific explanation and the structure of science. Many of the developments in our understanding of evolution resulted from contributions by both philosophers and biologists engaging over theoretical questions of mutual interest. This volume traces some of the most influential exchanges in this field over the last few decades. Focal topics include the nature of biological functions, adaptationism as an explanatory and methodological doctrine, the levels of selection debate, the concepts of fitness and drift, and the relationship of evolutionary to developmental biology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |2 pages
Part I Function and Purpose in Biology
part |2 pages
Part II Adaptationism, Optimality and Adaptive Co-variation
part |2 pages
Part III Fitness, Drift and the Forces of Evolution
part |2 pages
Part IV Selfish Genes, Altruistic Organisms and the Levels of Selection Debate
part |2 pages
Part V Three Challenges from Developmental Biology