Studies in the Philosophy of Biology: Reduction and Related Problems

Front Matter....Pages i-xix
Introductory Remarks....Pages 1-2
From Aristotle to Democritus via Darwin: A Short Survey of a Long Historical and Logical Journey....Pages 3-19
Evolutionary Theories after Lamarck and Darwin....Pages 21-44
The Problem of Molecular Recognition by a Selective System....Pages 45-56
A Geometric Model of Reduction and Emergence....Pages 57-63
Changing Strategies: A Comparison of Reductionist Attitudes in Biological and Medical Research in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries....Pages 65-86
Cerebral Activity and Consciousness....Pages 87-107
Reductionism in Biology....Pages 109-138
Unjustified Variation and Selective Retention in Scientific Discovery....Pages 139-161
Reduction, Hierarchies and Organicism....Pages 163-177
‘Downward Causation’ in Hierarchically Organised Biological Systems....Pages 179-186
On the Relations Between Compositional and Evolutionary Theories....Pages 187-204
Problems of Rationality in Biology....Pages 205-224
Chance, Necessity and Purpose....Pages 225-239
Polynomistic Determination of Biological Processes....Pages 241-258
Scientific Reduction and the Essential Incompleteness of All Science....Pages 259-284
Adaptive Shifts and Evolutionary Novelty: A Compositionist Approach....Pages 285-306
Chance and Creativity in Evolution....Pages 307-338
The Concept of Biological Progress....Pages 339-355
On Chance and Necessity....Pages 357-375
Back Matter....Pages 377-390