Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The present volume brings together current interdisciplinary research which adds up to an evolutionary theory of human knowledge, Le. evolutionary epistemology. It comprises ten papers, dealing with the basic concepts, approaches and data in evolutionary epistemology and discussing some of their most important consequences. Because I am convinced that criticism, if not confused with mere polemics, is apt to stimulate the maturation of a scientific or philosophical theory, I invited Reinhard Low to present his critical view of evolutionary epistemology and to indicate some limits of our evolutionary conceptions. The main purpose of this book is to meet the urgent need of both science and philosophy for a comprehensive up-to-date approach to the problem of knowledge, going beyond the traditional disciplinary boundaries of scientific and philosophical thought. Evolutionary epistemology has emerged as a naturalistic and science-oriented view of knowledge taking cognizance of, and compatible with, results of biological, psychological, anthropological and linguistic inquiries concerning the structure and development of man's cognitive apparatus. Thus, evolutionary epistemology serves as a frame- work for many contemporary discussions of the age-old problem of human knowledge.
Table of Contents
Evolutionary epistemology / Franz M. Wuketits -- Evolution and evolutionary knowledge / Rupert Riedl -- A short introduction to the biological principles of evolutionary epistemology / Robert Kaspar -- Mesocosm and objective knowledge / Gerhard Vollmer -- Neurobiological aspects of intelligence / Franz Seitelberger -- The evolution of scientific method / Erhard Oeser -- The ethics of science / Hans Mohr -- The metaphysical limits of evolutionary epistemology / Reinhard Lèow -- Evolutionary causality, theory of games, and evolution of intelligence / Werner Leinfellner -- Evolutionary epistemology, a new Copernican revolution? / Franz M. Wuketits -- The logical basis of evolutionary epistemology / Gèunter P. Wagner.