Thinking about biology

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 13
Introduction......Page 15
1.1 The problem with cannabis......Page 19
Summary: the facts of cannabis......Page 22
1.2 The making of the cell theory......Page 23
Thinking about sperm and eggs......Page 26
Summary: the making of cell biology......Page 32
1.3 The edge of the amoeba......Page 33
1.4 How cells evolved......Page 38
1.5 The philosophy of science......Page 45
Karl Popper (1902–1994)......Page 47
Thomas Kuhn (1922–1996)......Page 49
2.1 An introduction......Page 52
The neutrophil......Page 56
The slime mould......Page 57
2.3 The two faces of reductionism......Page 58
Philosophical reductionism......Page 59
2.4 The general problem of scientific explanation......Page 61
2.5 Explanation through causation......Page 64
2.6 Metaphysics and biology......Page 66
Monism......Page 68
Pluralism......Page 69
Emergence......Page 70
Vitalism......Page 71
The Gaia Hypothesis......Page 72
Complexity theory......Page 73
2.9 A case study: phenylketonuria (PKU)......Page 75
2.10 In conclusion: the problem of determinism......Page 78
3.1 A philosophical introduction......Page 81
3.2 The work of Charles Darwin......Page 83
3.3 The question of time......Page 87
3.4 The case of Jaques Déprat......Page 91
3.5 The myth of the coelacanth......Page 95
3.6 Life and the illusion of progress......Page 99
3.7 Proximate and ultimate causes in biology......Page 103
3.8 The concept of adaptation – and its teleology......Page 105
3.9 The scope of natural selection......Page 109
3.10 The ‘unit’ of natural selection......Page 120
3.11 The Darwin wars......Page 121
4.1 Ethics in science: an introduction......Page 123
4.2 Interventions: an introduction......Page 128
Definitions......Page 130
Justifications......Page 131
Criticisms......Page 132
4.4 Animal minds, human morals and the study of ethics......Page 135
Animals cannot reason......Page 136
Animals are simply machines......Page 140
Animals can suffer......Page 144
Animals have rights......Page 147
4.5 In conclusion......Page 151
5.1 Controversies in biology – and in the media......Page 154
5.2 The crisis of ‘mad cow disease’......Page 156
5.3 Genetically modified crops......Page 164
5.4 Xenotransplantation......Page 170
6.1 An introduction to the Human Genome Project......Page 177
6.2 The philosophy of the Human Genome Project......Page 180
6.3 The history of the Human Genome Project......Page 184
6.4 Genetic testing: the case of Huntington’s disease......Page 186
6.5 Testing for the ‘gene’ for breast cancer......Page 189
6.6 The Future of the Human Genome Project......Page 192
6.7 The commercialisation of the genome......Page 194
6.8 Gene testing and the doctor–patient relationship......Page 196
The emphasis is on risk: medical contemplation becomes as important as medical action......Page 198
Your consultation concerns not only you: a crowd of people is present in your doctor’s room......Page 199
7.1 How politics enters biology......Page 201
7.2 The politics of Darwin......Page 205
7.3 Eugenics: the genetic improvement of people......Page 207
7.4 Measuring intelligence......Page 210
7.5 Eugenics and genetics......Page 212
7.6 Biology and the Nazis......Page 216
7.7 The world view from evolutionary psychology......Page 220
8.1 A conflict of interest......Page 224
8.2 A code of conduct......Page 226
8.3 Peer review......Page 230
8.4 A historical overview......Page 232
Theme one: saving the individual......Page 233
Theme two: saving society......Page 235
Theme three: saving science......Page 237
8.5 Theories of ethics......Page 238
Index......Page 243