Not offered 2007-2008
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).
MLADENOVIC