In Mendel's Mirror: Philosophical Reflections on Biology (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Toward the end of their paper announcing the molecular structure of DNA, James Watson and Francis Crick remark, somewhat laconically, that their proposed structure might..." (more)
Key Phrases: discriminating altruists, heterozvgote superiority, allelic environment, New York, Ness York, Discriminating Defector (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Mendel's Mirror performs the valuable service of collecting together some of the finest essays in philosophy of biology written in the last two decades, and gives a fascinating insight into Kitcher's intellectual development over that period. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews What is most striking about the book is its uniformly high quality ... each essay is substantive, penetrating and authoritative. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"What is most striking about the book is its uniformly high quality; although the volume runs to nearly four hundred pages, there are no space fillers here - each essay is substantive, penetrating, and authoritative.... In Mendel's Mirror performs the valuable service of collecting together some of the finest essays in philosophy of biology written in the past two decades, and gives a fascinating insight into Kitcher's intellectual development over that period."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"Reading these papers together in one volume drives home just how impressive Kitcher's contribution to our field is. This volume will undoubtedly stimulate debate and provide fuel for new research programs in philosophy of biology."--Stephen M. Downes, Biology and Philosophy

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Product Details

• Paperback: 410 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (March 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195151798
• ISBN-13: 978-0195151794
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,872 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars First Rate!, April 21, 2008

By	rdf "rdf_acm" (Cambridge, Ma. USA) - See all my reviews

The method behind most of these essays is: pose a question, posit a set of answers that covers the space of possible answers, examine how the shape of (biological/evolutionary) outcomes can discriminate between them, then look at the data to see what fits.

The essays are succinct, clear and often use either approximate equations or the results of simulation runs to assist the analysis -- very little "armchair" stuff here.

The only essay that I found a bit gratuitous was the one on "Born Again Creationism" which was (thankfully) much more salient in 2003 than it is today.