The Nature of Selection : Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus - Elliott Sober

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The Nature of Selection

Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus

By: Elliott Sober

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Paperback | 15 August 1993 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
400 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
2.31 x 1.58 x 0.24

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The Nature of Selection is a straightforward, self-contained introduction to philosophical and biological problems in evolutionary theory. It presents a powerful analysis of the evolutionary concepts of natural selection, fitness, and adaptation and clarifies controversial issues concerning altruism, group selection, and the idea that organisms are survival machines built for the good of the genes that inhabit them.

"Sober's is the answering philosophical voice, the voice of a first-rate philosopher and a knowledgeable student of contemporary evolutionary theory. His book merits broad attention among both communities. It should also inspire others to continue the conversation."-Philip Kitcher, Nature

"Elliott Sober has made extraordinarily important contributions to our understanding of biological problems in evolutionary biology and causality. The Nature of Selection is a major contribution to understanding epistemological problems in evolutionary theory. I predict that it will have a long lasting place in the literature."-Richard C. Lewontin

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Biology, Life Sciences Life Sciences in General Evolution Philosophy Science in General Philosophy of Science

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Fitness, Selection, Adaptation
Evolutionary Theory as a Theory of Forces
The Prehistory of a Concept
History and Theory
Zero-Force States
Darwinian Fitness
Source Laws and Supervenience
The Tautology Problem
A Good Tautology Is Hard to Find
A Little A Priori Truth Never Hurt Anyone
Survival, Reproduction, Causation
Fitness Is Casually Inert
Selection Of and Selection For
Chance
The Randomness of Mutation
Deterministic and Stochastic Processes
What Laplace's Demon Would Be Missing
Explanation
Explanation and Prediction
Variational and Developmental Explanation
Population Thinking and Essentialism
Adaptation
Selection and Improvement
Retrospect and Prospect
The Group Above and the Gene Below
Beginnings
Historical Background
Transitivity and Context Dependence
Parsimony
Representability
The Unit of Replication
Adaptation and Artifact
Group Selection without Altruism
The Analysis of Variance
Causality
Object and Property
Coronaries and Correlations
Fine-Tuning
Consequences
The Selfish Gene or the Artifactual Allele?
Group Selection in Focus
Altruism and Averaging
Species Selection
References
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

The Nature of Selection

Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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