Philosophy Of Biology

by Elliott Sober

Perhaps because of its implications for our understanding of human nature, recent philosophy of biology has seen what may be the most dramatic work in the philosophies of the “special” sciences. This drama has centered on evolutionary theory, and in this new textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important of these developments.With a rare combination of technical sophistication and clarity of expression, Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction, Biology

231 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 1993

Reviews

[Deniz Cem Önduygu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it overall, even though the edition I own is set with a too small point-size and too much text in one page, offering a bad reading experience. (Think of it as a 220 x 1.5 = 330 page book.) Add to this the fact that the content sometimes gets too technical and dry, and it verges on a boring textbook.

I found it interesting that in a 7-page section titled "Models of Cultural Evolution" where he elaborates on many theories/models by various people, he only mentions Dawkins and memetics once, in parantheses, without any explanation.

[Alexandre Guay]

Un excellent livre d'introduction à la philosophie de la biologie. Je le recommande à tous. Il est tout à fait complémentaire avec Sex and Death de Sterelny et Griffiths.

[Bersu Özer · Rating 3 out of 5]

😒

[Carmen Álvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sober escribe súper bien. Un gran libro para introducirse en los debates clave de la Filosofía de la Biología. Es útil tanto si es el primer acercamiento a la disciplina (usa lenguaje técnico pero directo y sencillo) como para si se quiere mirar cierto tema concreto y sacar literatura.
Un gran manual para tener unas ideas de la Filosofía de la Biología en su conjunto. Además, un punto muy a favor para el libro es que además de la bibliografía que tiene al final, en cada capítulo te especifica un "para leer más" que hace que sea muy cómodo buscar a literatura concreta de un tema.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice approach. Covers the basics. Gives his own spin. Little bit technical, but not too bad. Good for an introductory course.

[Aurijus Jasulis]

I write my master