Evolution, Mind and Method

Evolution, Explanation, Ethics, and Aesthetics: Towards a Philosophy of Biology focuses on the dominant biological topic of evolution, with the unique benefit of being written by an eminent biologist who also happens to be a philosopher. It deals with the prevailing philosophical themes of how to explain the adaptation of organisms, the interplay of chance and necessity, and the recurrent topics of emergence, reductionism, and progress. Also extensively treated is the all-important (and of great interest) topic of how to explain human nature as a result of natural processes, and the encompassed issues of the foundations of morality and the brain-to-mind transformation. This book is a useful resource for seminar and college courses on the philosophy of biology as well as for researchers, academics, and students in evolutionary biology, behavior, genetics, and biodiversity. Additionally, it provides a stimulating discussion of the field for those with an interest in human biology and issues such as ethics, religion, and the mind, along with professional philosophers of science and those concerned with such issues as whether evolution is compatible with religion and/or where morality comes from.