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A Critical Overview of Biological Functions (Paperback, 1st ed. 2016)
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A Critical Overview of Biological Functions (Paperback, 1st ed. 2016)
Series: Philosophy of Science
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This book is a critical survey of and guidebook to the literature
on biological functions. It ties in with current debates and
developments, and at the same time, it looks back on the state of
discourse in naturalized teleology prior to the 1970s. It also
presents three significant new proposals. First, it describes the
generalized selected effects theory, which is one version of the
selected effects theory, maintaining that the function of a trait
consists in the activity that led to its differential persistence
or reproduction in a population, and not merely its differential
reproduction. Secondly, it advances "within-discipline pluralism"
(as opposed to between-discipline pluralism) a new form of function
pluralism, which emphasizes the coexistence of function concepts
within diverse biological sub-disciplines. Lastly, it provides a
critical assessment of recent alternatives to the selected effects
theory of function, namely, the weak etiological theory and the
systems-theoretic theory. The book argues that, to the extent that
functions purport to offer causal explanations for the existence of
a trait, there are no viable alternatives to the selected effects
view. The debate about biological functions is still as relevant
and important to biology and philosophy as it ever was. Recent
controversies surrounding the ENCODE Project Consortium in
genetics, the nature of psychiatric classification, and the value
of ecological restoration, all point to the continuing relevance to
biology of philosophical discussion about the nature of functions.
In philosophy, ongoing debates about the nature of biological
information, intentionality, health and disease, mechanism, and
even biological trait classification, are closely related to
debates about biological functions.
General
Imprint: |
Springer International Publishing AG
|
Country of origin: |
Switzerland |
Series: |
Philosophy of Science |
Release date: |
April 2016 |
First published: |
2016 |
Authors: |
Justin Garson
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 155 x 7mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
113 |
Edition: |
1st ed. 2016 |
ISBN-13: |
978-3-319-32018-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
Philosophy >
General
Books >
Philosophy >
General
|
LSN: |
3-319-32018-1 |
Barcode: |
9783319320182 |
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