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Author: Gillian Bendelow
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2005-07-28
Total Pages: 333
ISBN-13: 113446813X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Debating Biology takes a fresh look at the relationship between biology and society as it is played out in the arena of health and medicine.
Author: Francisco J. Ayala
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 2009-11-19
Total Pages: 440
ISBN-13: 9781444314939
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This collection of specially commissioned essays puts top scholarshead to head to debate the central issues in the lively and fastgrowing field of philosophy of biology Brings together original essays on ten of the most hotlydebated questions in philosophy of biology Lively head-to-head debate format sharply defines the issuesand paves the way for further discussion Includes coverage of the new and vital area of evolutionarydevelopmental biology, as well as the concept of a unified species,the role of genes in selection, the differences between micro- andmacro-evolution, and much more Each section features an introduction to the topic as well assuggestions for further reading Offers an accessible overview of this fast-growing and dynamicfield, whilst also capturing the imagination of professionalphilosophers and biologists
Author: Toby A. Appel
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 1987
Total Pages: 334
ISBN-13: 0195041380
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Explores the historical and scientific issues that made comparative anatomy central to 19th-century biology and fostered the development of Darwin's theory of evolution.
Author: Steven J. Dick
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1996-06-13
Total Pages: 596
ISBN-13: 9780521343268
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Throughout the twentieth century, from the furor over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars to the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, otherworldly life has often intrigued and occasionally consumed science and the public. The Biological Universe provides a rich and colorful history of the attempts during the twentieth century to answer questions such as whether "biological law" reigns throughout the universe and whether there are other histories, religions, and philosophies outside those on Earth. Covering a broad range of topics, including the search for life in the solar system, the origins of life, UFOs, and aliens in science fiction, Steven J. Dick shows how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a world view of its own, a "biophysical cosmology" that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the universe. This book will fascinate astronomers, historians of science, biochemists, and science fiction readers.
Author: William A. Dembski
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2004-07-12
Total Pages: 430
ISBN-13: 9781139459617
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →In this book, first published in 2004, William Dembski, Michael Ruse, and other prominent philosophers provide a comprehensive balanced overview of the debate concerning biological origins - a controversial dialectic since Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859. Invariably, the source of controversy has been 'design'. Is the appearance of design in organisms (as exhibited in their functional complexity) the result of purely natural forces acting without prevision or teleology? Or, does the appearance of design signify genuine prevision and teleology, and, if so, is that design empirically detectable and thus open to scientific inquiry? Four main positions have emerged in response to these questions: Darwinism, self-organisation, theistic evolution, and intelligent design. The contributors to this volume define their respective positions in an accessible style, inviting readers to draw their own conclusions. Two introductory essays furnish a historical overview of the debate.
Author: Robert J. Richards
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2016-09-10
Total Pages: 336
ISBN-13: 022638439X
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Two evolutionists debate the intellectual roots of Darwin’s theories, drawing connections to German Romanticism, the Scottish Enlightenment, and more. Charles Darwin is an icon of modern science, and his theory of evolution is commonly referenced by scientists and nonscientists alike. Yet there is a surprising amount we don’t know about the father of modern evolutionary thinking, his intellectual roots, or even the science he produced. Debating Darwin brings together two leading Darwin scholars—Robert J. Richards and Michael Ruse—to engage in a spirited and insightful dialogue, offering their interpretations of Darwin and their critiques of each other’s thinking. Examining key disagreements about Darwin that continue to confound even committed Darwinists, Richards and Ruse offer divergent views on the man and his ideas. Ruse argues that Darwin was quintessentially British, part of an intellectual lineage tracing back to the Industrial Revolution and thinkers such as Adam Smith and Thomas Robert Malthus. Ruse sees Darwin’s work in biology as an extension of their theories. In contrast, Richards presents Darwin as more cosmopolitan, influenced as much by French and German thinkers. Above all, argues Richards, it was Alexander von Humboldt who gave Darwin the conceptual tools he needed to formulate his evolutionary hypotheses. Together, the authors show how these contrasting views on Darwin’s influences can be felt in theories about the nature of natural selection, the role of metaphor in science, and the place of God in Darwin’s thought. The book concludes with a jointly authored chapter that brings this debate into the present, focusing on human evolution, consciousness, religion, and morality.
Author: Stephen Henry Schneider
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2004
Total Pages: 412
ISBN-13: 9780262194983
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Leading scientists bring the controversy over Gaia up to date by exploring a broad range of recent thinking on Gaia theory.
Author: Connie Barlow
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
Published: 1995
Total Pages: 333
ISBN-13: 9780262522069
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →As in her first well-received anthology, From Gaia to Selfish Genes, Connie Barlow has woven selections from the writings of biologists and philosophers into a unified whole. Once again she explores a range of viewpoints as she invites readers to formulate their own opinions. Editorial passages provide the historical context and introduce the debates that have ensued whenever evolutionary biology has been extended into the realm of meaning.
Author: Margaret Lock
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 2016-06-20
Total Pages: 160
ISBN-13: 0745690009
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Following centuries of debate about "nature and nurture" the discovery of DNA established the idea that nature (genes) determines who we are, relegating nurture (environment) to icing on the cake. Since the 1950s, the new science of epigenetics has demonstrated how cellular environments and certain experiences and behaviors influence gene expression at the molecular level, with significant implications for health and wellbeing. To the amazement of scientists, mapping the human genome indirectly supported these insights. Anthropologists Margaret Lock and Gisli Palsson outline vituperative arguments from Classical times about the relationship between nature and nurture, furthered today by epigenetic findings and the demonstration of a "reactive genome." The nature/nurture debate, they show, can never be put to rest, because these concepts are in constant flux in response to the new insights science continually offers.
Author: Lukas M. Verburgt
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2024-01-11
Total Pages: 372
ISBN-13: 1350326240
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Debating Contemporary Approaches to the History of Science explores the main themes, problems and challenges currently at the top of the discipline's methodological agenda. In its chapters, established and emerging scholars introduce and discuss new approaches to the history of science and revisit older perspectives which remain crucial. Each chapter is followed by a critical commentary from another scholar in the field and the author's response. The volume looks at such topics as the importance of the 'global', 'digital', 'environmental', and 'posthumanist' turns for the history of science, and the possibilities for the field of moving beyond a focus on ideas and texts towards active engagement with materials and practices. It also addresses important issues about the relationship between history of science, on the one hand, and philosophy of science, history of knowledge and ignorance studies, on the other. With its innovative format, this volume provides an up-to-date, authoritative overview of the field, and also explores how and why the history of science is practiced. It is essential reading for students and scholars eager to keep a finger on the pulse of what is happening in the history of science today, and to contribute to where it might go next.
