CANCELLED!
PHIL 334 Philosophy of Biology (Same as History of Science 334)
In the comparatively short period of only two centuries, biology became one of
the most interesting and both intellectually and socially influential sciences.
Philosophical interest in its concepts, scientific methodology, and reliability of
its results is now probably greater than it ever was before. In order to understand
philosophical significance of contemporary biology, we will focus on the theory
of evolution, and discuss the following questions and problems: What are the
main claims of the theory of evolution, and how are we to interpret them? For
example, what is an "adaptationist explanation" and under which conditions are
such explanations satisfactory? What is `fitness,' and how should the concept be
employed to help us provide good evolutionary explanations? What is natural
selection acting upon-a species, an organism, or organism's genes? And how
are we to define `species,' faced with different definitions used in different
biological sciences? Darwin, and other evolutionists after him, firmly reject
teleological explanations in biology-yet to explain the emergence and stability
of particular traits in organisms and species we must say what purpose do these
traits serve, which seems like a teleological explanation after all. How are we to
resolve this apparent tension in the heart of the evolutionary theory?-Finally, in
the last segment of the course, we will examine the influence biology had on
other disciplines, by studying the methods, assumptions and some specific
claims of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: class participation, three 5-pages
long papers, and a longer (7-10 pgs.) final paper.
Prerequisites: Philosophy of Science, or three courses in Biology, or (in special
circumstances) consent of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 10-15).