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Elliott Sober

The Nature of Selection: Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus n Edition

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The Nature of Selection is a straightforward, self-contained introduction to philosophical and biological problems in evolutionary theory. It presents a powerful analysis of the evolutionary concepts of natural selection, fitness, and adaptation and clarifies controversial issues concerning altruism, group selection, and the idea that organisms are survival machines built for the good of the genes that inhabit them.

"Sober's is the answering philosophical voice, the voice of a first-rate philosopher and a knowledgeable student of contemporary evolutionary theory. His book merits broad attention among both communities. It should also inspire others to continue the conversation."-Philip Kitcher, Nature

"Elliott Sober has made extraordinarily important contributions to our understanding of biological problems in evolutionary biology and causality. The Nature of Selection is a major contribution to understanding epistemological problems in evolutionary theory. I predict that it will have a long lasting place in the literature."-Richard C. Lewontin

ISBN-10

0226767485
ISBN-13

978-0226767482
Edition

n
Publisher

University of Chicago Press
Publication date

August 15, 1993
Language

English
Dimensions

9.04 x 6.06 x 0.85 inches
Print length

400 pages
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About the Author

Elliot Sober, recipient of the 1991 Imre Lakatos Prize, is Hans Reichenbach Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Among his books are Reconstructing the Past and Philosophy of Biology.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; n edition (August 15, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226767485
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226767482
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.38 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.04 x 6.06 x 0.85 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,590,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,561 in Philosophy (Books)
- #8,353 in Evolution (Books)
- #9,195 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)

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4.0 6 ratings

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Michael

In-depth theoretical discussion lacking connection to the practice of biology

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 1, 2021

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This book is a very abstract treatment of philosophical issues in biology. Like most of philosophy of biology it presumes the centrality of natural selection to evolution. What is missing is a simple explication of how to test this central theory, something on the lines of "if natural selection is the driver of evolution, then X should be true, therefore one should be able to perform test Y and it should have such and such a result, which would confirm the theory". As it is, the book presumes the truth of natural selection and derives endless question-begging discussion about a theory that is never established in any practical way. For someone like Sober who writes endlessly about design, his perspective is frustratingly lacking in a connection to science as practiced in the real world. An example is the "Journal of Mutation Research," which contains years worth of actual studies in what is considered the nuts and bolts of evolution and yet Sober makes no connection to this immense body of work. Without this connection Sober's abstract theorizing is stuck in a philosophical cul-de-sac. Sober has simply failed to imagine a real experimental design that would validate or invalidate the theory of natural selection experimentally.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 12, 2015

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a great book from which you can understand what is evolution

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WP

Advanced And Analytical Dissection Of Evolutionary Selection

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 7, 2012

Sober's "The Nature Of Selection" is an intensely indepth examination of many questions raised in reviewing the findings of evolutionary biology, with especial emphasis on the "units of selection" controversy.
A consummate philosopher, Sober begins by explaining that the book is divided in two parts: the first is of more interest to philosophers without a biological background, and the second to biologists who are curious about why philosophers of science are "sticking their nose into" evolutionary theory. Given the primary thrust of the book, the second section is supposed to be of special interest to all readers, as this is where Sober shines in his attempt to clarify a few of the questions raised in the philosophy of science regarding evolution and why that is important to strict naturalists as well.
This book is so jampacked with examples and critical reviews of some of the major & minor examples of evolution in action that it is hard in a limited space review to really go into a proper critique of the text. This book is 383 pages of postgraduate-level analysis of the some of the fundamental theorems and explanations behind how we should define such terms as the "unit of selection" and "altruism". As such, this is not recommended to anyone without a formal background in biology and/or philosophy.
The merging of the two aforementioned disciplines is something that has appeared in recent years to become almost tacit in instruction. I took a Philosophy of Science course in 2000 and even though we did not deal with the specific issues in this book (with the exception of the so-called "Tautology Problem"), I notice a difference between what was taught in class and the general tone of the Introduction to this 1984 publication. Unless I read him wrong, it appears as if Sober's suggestions of the intrusiveness of philosophy into biology has been eased over time. As such, one could potentially argue that part of the value behind reading this book would be to see the underpinnings of what would later become standard questioning amongst biological theorists.
All in all, this book is for college-level graduates with a background in either biology and/or philosophy who wish to examine some of the major issues raised in the study of natural selection. 4 stars for overall content, lacking a basic glossary for ease of reference.

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Amazon Customer

Main concepts behind evolution

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 10, 2018

Great book, a very clear analysis of many of the concepts important to evolutionary theory. I'm trained in biology, without much training in evolution, but this book will help me look at evolution under a new light. I have also been reading some philosophy for some time now, I don't know whether the book would have been so enjoyable otherwise. Nicely written, maybe could have been shorter.

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