- Hardcover: 260 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; illustrated edition edition (15 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0521520797
- ISBN-13: 978-0521520799
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.4 x 1.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,372,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Biological Complexity and Integrative Pluralism
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Product Description
This fine collection of essays by a leading philosopher of science presents a defence of integrative pluralism as the best description for the complexity of scientific inquiry today. The tendency of some scientists to unify science by reducing all theories to a few fundamental laws of the most basic particles that populate our universe is ill-suited to the biological sciences, which study multi-component, multi-level, evolved complex systems. This integrative pluralism is the most efficient way to understand the different and complex processes - historical and interactive - that generate biological phenomena. This book will be of interest to students and professionals in the philosophy of science.
Book Description
This fine collection of essays by a leading philosopher of science presents a defence of integrative pluralism as the best description for the complexity of scientific inquiry today. This book will be of interest to students and professionals in the philosophy of science.
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First Sentence
In a variety of scientific disciplines, political discussions, and social policy forums, there is increasing interest in diversity as an inherent good. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In a variety of scientific disciplines, political discussions, and social policy forums, there is increasing interest in diversity as an inherent good. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
a very clear, intelligent, up to date defense of pluralism in science
14 Sep 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a philosoher but not at all a philosopher of science, and I found this to be a very helpful book to read. It is primarily a book, not about biology as such, but about scientific explanation and models. It defends a pluralism of theories and models, illustrating its argument by examples from biology, particularly the biology of social insects. The pluralism is "integrative" since the models are brought together when one is explaining specific instances of the phenomena under study.
So much philosophy of science uses physics for its examples that I found it refreshing and illuminating to draw on biology (which is, for many of us, much easier to understand). As a philosopher interested in intellectual pluralism, I found this study one of the very most useful. This is a book written primarily for philosophers and theorists of biology, but it could be read with profit by anyone with a serious interest in these issues.
So much philosophy of science uses physics for its examples that I found it refreshing and illuminating to draw on biology (which is, for many of us, much easier to understand). As a philosopher interested in intellectual pluralism, I found this study one of the very most useful. This is a book written primarily for philosophers and theorists of biology, but it could be read with profit by anyone with a serious interest in these issues.
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