Synopses & Reviews
'Treats in depth the major developments in molecular biology and evolutionary theory that have transformed biology and its philosophy in recent decades. Shows how the problems of the philosophy of biology are interconnected and their solutions interdependent.'
Review
'Alex Rosenberg has written an extremely informative introduction to the issues in philosophy of biology. Offering a unified perspective on traditional problems of teleology, reductionism, the structure of evolutionary theory, and the nature of species, he provides lucid summaries of the competing approaches to these problems and develops interesting ideas and arguments of his own. The treatment throughout reflects current discussions among biologists and philosophers. This book ought to become the leading single-author text on the subject and it should be read by anybody who has an interest in the philosophy of biology.' Philip Kitcher, University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science
Review
'The Golden Age of Biology has been with us for over three decades, and yet Rosenberg is the first philosopher to write a book on the philosophy of biology which makes significant use of all the recent advances in biochemistry and molecular biology. He is the first philosopher to know enough about these advances to make use of them. If Rosenberg's book is any indication, philosophy of biology is entering into its own Golden Age. David L. Hull, Northwestern University
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. Biology and its philosophy; 2. Autonomy and provincialism; 3. Teleology and the roots of autonomy; 4. Reductionism and the temptation of provincialism; 5. The structure of evolutionary theory; 6. Fitness; 7. Species; 8. New problems of functionalism; Bibliography; Index.