Synopses & Reviews
Is life a purely physical process? What is human nature? Which of our traits is essential to us? In this volume, Daniel McShea and Alex Rosenberg a biologist and a philosopher, respectively join forces to create a new gateway to the philosophy of biology; making the major issues accessible and relevant to biologists and philosophers alike.
Exploring concepts such as supervenience; the controversies about genocentrism and genetic determinism; and the debate about major transitions central to contemporary thinking about macroevolution; the authors lay out the broad terms in which we should assess the impact of biology on human capacities, social institutions and ethical values.
Synopsis
This comprehensive and balanced introduction to the philosophy of biology takes a fresh look at the subject in an accessible way. Alex Rosenberg clarifies the philosophical problems relevant to biologists, discussing how eminent biologists from Darwin to Lewontin have addressed these issues, and showing how philosophy of biology is indispensable for biologists. This user-friendly book will appeal to students of biology and philosophy.