Philosophy of Biology

The philosophy of biology has recently seen some of the most dramatic activity among the philosophies of the special sciences. In this new textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important of these developments.Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance. }Perhaps because of its implications for our understanding of human nature, recent philosophy of biology has seen what may be the most dramatic work in the philosophies of the special sciences. This drama has centered on evolutionary theory, and in this new textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important of these developments. With a rare combination of technical sophistication and clarity of expression, Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance. }