About this book
The Units of Evolution is the first anthology devoted solely to the nature of species, one of the most hotly debated issues in biology and the philosophy of biology. The anthology is evenly balanced between biological and philosophical issues, making it equally useful for workers in both fields.
In his general introduction, Marc Ereshefsky sketches the framework for the debate, explaining how biologists disagree over the definition of the term species, and philosophers struggle to evaluate the scientific utility of a categorization device that might lack a single defining characteristic.
Essays in the first section offer various definitions of the species category, starting with Ernst Mayr's seminal work on species and including essays by Robert Sokal and Theodore Crovello, Paul Ehrlich and Peter Raven, Leigh Van Valen, Edward Wiley, Joel Cracraft, Brent Mishler and Michael Donoghue, Hugh Paterson, and Alan Templeton.
The essays in the second section focus on such philosophical issues as whether species taxa are individuals or natural kinds, whether a monistic or pluralistic approach to systematics should be adopted, and the distinction between species and higher taxa. Contributors to this section include Michael Ghiselin, David Hull, John Beatty, Michael Ruse, Elliott Sober, Philip Kircher, and Marc Ereshefsky.
Contents
Part 1 Biological concepts: species concepts and their application, Ernst Mayr
- The biological species concept - a critical evaluation, Robert Sokal and Theordore Crovello
- Differentiation of populations, Paul Ehrlich and Peter Raven
- Ecological species, multispecies and oaks, Leigh Van Valen
- The evolutionary species concept reconsidered, Edward Wiley
- Species concepts and speciation analysis, Joel Cracraft
- Species concepts - a case for pluralism, Brent Mishler and Michael Donoghue
- The recognition concept of species, Hugh Paterson
- The meaning of species and speciation - a genetic perspective, Alan Templeton
Part 2 Philosophical issues: the effect of essentialism on taxonomy - two thousand years of statis, David Hull
- Speaking of species - Darwin's strategy, John Beatty
- Evolution, population thinking and essentialism, Elliott Sober
- A radical solution to the species problem, Michael Ghiselin
- A matter of individuality, David Hull
- Species, Philip Kitcher
- Biological species - natural kinds, individuals, or what?, Michael Ruse
- Species concepts, individuality, and objectivity, Michael Giselin
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Biography
Marc Ereshefsky is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Calgary.
