Empiricism, Naturalism and the Metaphysics of Biology

This book is an exploration of the metaphysics of biology from a particular metaphilosophical standpoint, one which employs the concept of a philosophical stance.

The first half of the book applies the idea of an epistemic stance to a cluster of issues in the metaphysics of biology: the units of selection, species and biological kinds, and functions and teleology. The second half of the book applies the idea of a metaphysical stance to a different set of issues in the metaphysics of biology: functionalism and structuralism, punctuationism and gradualism, and holism and reductionism.

Empiricism, Naturalism and the Metaphysics of Biology is essential reading for all scholars and researchers in the philosophy of biology, metaphilosophy and the philosophy of science.

Covers the units of selection, species and biological kinds, and functions and teleology Encompasses functionalism and structuralism, punctuationism and gradualism, and holism and reductionism Explores the metaphysics of biology via the concept of a philosophical stance

Autorentext

Sandy Boucher is Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at the University of New England, Australia.

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Introduction: Philosophical stances and the metaphysics of biology.- Part I. Epistemic Stances.- Chapter 2. Naturalised metaphysics, scientific ontology, and epistemic stances.- Chapter 3. The Units of Selection.- Chapter 4. Biological Kinds I: Species and natural kinds.- Chapter 5. Biological Kinds II: Essences and essentialism.- Chapter 6. Biological teleology.- Part II. Metaphysical Stances.- Chapter 7. Introduction to Part II.- Chapter 8. Functionalism and structuralism.- Chapter 9. Punctuationism and Gradualism.- Chapter 10. Holism and Reductionism.- Chapter 11. Conclusion.