Nature's Purposes: Analyses of Function and Design in Biology [Paperback]

Colin Allen (Editor), Marc Bekoff (Editor), George Lauder (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262510979 | ISBN-13: 978-0262510974 | Publication Date: April 3, 1998

Within the natural sciences, only biologists take seriously teleological statements about design, purpose, and adaptive function. Some biologists claim that to understand the complex morphological and behavioral traits of organisms we must say what they are for, which is to give a teleological explanation of why organisms have them. Others argue that the theory of natural selection, in providing statistical explanations for the same phenomena, obviates any need for teleological thinking. If teleology cannot be eliminated from biology, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of biological explanation and about the relationship of biology to the rest of science.To account for "Nature's purposes" is arguably the most important basic issue in the philosophy of biology. This volume provides a guide to the discussion among biologists and philosophers about the role of concepts such as function and design in an evolutionary understanding of life. All of the contributors examine biological teleology from a naturalistic perspective. Most of them maintain that teleological claims in biology both describe and explain something--but opinions vary as to exactly what is explained and how.Contributors : Fred Adams, Colin Allen, Ron Amundson, Francisco J. Ayala, Mark Bedau, Marc Bekoff, John Bigelow, Walter J. Bock, Robert N. Brandon, Robert Cummins, Berent Enç, Carl Gans, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Stephen Jay Gould, Paul E. Griffiths, R. A. Hinde, Philip Kitcher, George V. Lauder, Ruth Garrett Millikan, S. D. Mitchell, Ernest Nagel, Karen Neander, Robert Pargetter, M. J. S. Rudwick, Gerd von Wahlert, Elisabeth S. Vrba, Larry Wright.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Philosophers of biology may find this collection useful, as a convenient compilation of the major papers in one part of their field. Some of them may wish to teach advanced courses on teleology, in which case their students will find this book most helpful." -- R. McN. Alexander,Science, August 14, 1998

About the Author

Colin Allen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Texas A & M University. Marc Bekoff is Professor in the Department of Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. George Lauder is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 603 pages
• Publisher: A Bradford Book (April 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262510979
• ISBN-13: 978-0262510974
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,107,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needed if you're going to write on functions..., February 5, 2004

By 

Brandon N. Towl (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nature's Purposes: Analyses of Function and Design in Biology (Paperback)

This is an excellent anthology if you are beginning to do research on functions, or just any research in the philosophy of biology. It has many classic papers, and is balanced in point of view-- overall, a great starting place.