Darwin and the Nature of Species (SUNY series in Philosophy and Biology)

ISBN: 0791469387

Author: Stamos, David N.

Condition: New

Examines Darwins concept of species in a philosophical context.Since the 1859 publication of On the Origin of Species, the concept of species in biology has been widely debated, with its precise definition far from settled. And yet, amazingly, there have been no books devoted to Charles Darwins thinking on the term until now. David N. Stamos gives us a groundbreaking, historical reconstruction of Darwins detailed, yet often misinterpreted, thoughts on this complex concept.Stamos provides a thorough and detailed analysis of Darwins extensive writings, both published and unpublished, in order to reveal Darwins actual species concept. Stamos argues that Darwin had a unique evolutionary species concept in mind, one that was not at all a product of his time. Challenging currently accepted views that believe Darwin was merely following the species ascriptions of his fellow naturalists, Stamos works to prove that this prevailing, nominalistic view should be overturned. This book also addresses three issues pertinent to the philosophy of science: the modern species problem, the nature of concept change in scientific revolutions, and the contextualist trend in professional history of science.Stamos works to tease out a consistent concept of species from the whole corpus of Darwins work He offers a critical analysis of Kuhnian interpretations of Darwins work, and one critical of purely externalist accounts of science and of Darwins scientific work in particular. - CHOICEa plausible, well-argued, and empirically sustained interpretation of Darwins concept of species. - ISISEven if the authors opponents remain unconverted by this book, they will heartily appreciate its deep scholarship and careful reasoning. While it is unlikely that anyone will ever deliver the final word on Darwins philosophy of biology, this book will force those who find in Darwin an ally for nominalism to reconsider and soften their claims. - Loyal Rue, author of Everybodys Story: Wising Up to the Epic of EvolutionThis book is a fine contribution to the ongoing debate on the Darwinian revolution. - Michael T. Ghiselin, author of Metaphysics and the Origin of Species