Biological Essentialism addresses three main issues. The first
concerns the essences (natures, identities) of biological taxa,
particularly species. Kripke and other metaphysicians hold that
these essences are (at least partly) intrinsic, underlying,
probably largely genetic properties. This view, based largely on
intuitions, is dismissed by the consensus in the philosophy of
biology as being incompatible with Darwinism and reflecting
ignorance of biology. Biological Essentalism argues that the
demands of biological explanation show that the metaphysicians are
right. The positive view of the consensus is that the essences are
wholly relational: taxa must have certain histories. Biological
Essentialism argues that there is indeed an historical component to
the essence, but this component presupposes an intrinsic component.
Its second issue concerns the essences of biological individuals.
Metaphysicians have had much to say about this, again on the basis
of intuitions. Many hold that an individual is essentially a member
of its species. This has recently been unequivocally rejected by
philosophers of biology. Biological Essentialism appeals to
biological explanation again to argue for essential membership;
furthermore, to argue for the Kripkean view that an organism's
essence is partly intrinsic and partly relational (a matter of
origin). Finally, the book addresses the lively contemporary issue
of whether race is biologically “real”. From the perspective
developed earlier, the book argues that there are indeed racial
kinds, in some sense, that are “in the realm of the
biological”. These kinds also have partly historical and partly
intrinsic underlying essences.
General
| Imprint: |
Oxford UniversityPress
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Release date: |
March 2023 |
| Authors: |
Michael Devitt
|
| Dimensions: |
240 x 163 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
240 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-19-884028-2 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
0-19-884028-4 |
| Barcode: |
9780198840282 |
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