Details | Overview | Textbooks | Assessment | Schedule [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Exam | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 ]
Details
| Course Codes | Location | Times |
|---|
| PHL 251, PHL 251W, PHL 451 | Lattimore Hall 413 | Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30pm to 1:45pm |
Overview
This class is an introduction to philosophy of biology focussing on issues connected with the nature and scope of biological explanations. We begin by contrasting evolutionary and design explanations. We then examine a set of foundational questions concerning the nature and scope of the explanations provided by natural selection. We conclude by examining the explanatory role of genes in development. No prior philosophy of science or biology will be assumed.
Printable Syllabus
Available here [PDF]
Textbooks
The following textbook is mandatory:
Elliott Sober, Philosophy of Biology, Westview Press, Boulder CO, 2nd Ed, 2000. [AddAll]
For those without any background in evolutionary biology, good recent popular introductions to the evidence for evolution are:
Sean B. Carroll, The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution, W. W. Norton, New York, 2006. [AddAll]
Jerry A. Coyne, Why Evolution is True, Viking, New York, 2009. [AddAll]
The definitive textbooks on evolutionary biology are:
Douglas J. Futuyma, Evolution, Sinauer Associates, Sunderland MA, 2nd Ed, 2009. [AddAll]
Mark Ridley, Evolution, Blackwell, Malden MA, 3rd Ed, 2004. [AddAll]
Assessment
Requirements:
- Ten 1–2 page weekly reading summaries. You should pick at least one of the
readings for the class in question and summarise, as clearly and concisely as
you can, the main argument. Please also indicate whether there were parts of
the reading that you found unclear or confusing.
- A 10–15 minute presentation, followed by discussion.
- An in class exam, consisting of multiple choice and short answer questions. [Sample Questions]
- An 8–10 page research paper, questions to be provided.
The final grade will be determined as follows:
| Reading Summaries: | 10% |
| Presentation: | 20% |
| Exam: | 20% |
| Final Paper: | 50% |
Assessment dates:
| Exam: | Wednesday 21 October [Sample Questions] |
| Second Paper: | Wednesday 9 December |
| Reading Summaries: | At each associated class. |
| Note: Late summaries will not be accepted.
Note: Graduate students or students enrolled for upper level writing credit will be required to write longer essays. Graduate students will also be required to do additional reading and meet for an additional discussion section.
Reading
Lecture One (Wednesday 2 September)
Introduction: What is Philosophy of Biology?
No Class (Monday 7 September)
Section I: Evolutionary Theory and Design Arguments
Lecture Two (Wednesday 9 September)
Introductory Reading
Sober (Chapter 1, “What Is Evolutionary Theory?”).
Primary Reading
Kitcher, Philip. 1985. “Darwin's Achievement”, in Nicholas Rescher (Ed), Reason and Rationality in Natural Science, University Press of America, Lanham MD, pp. 127–189. [PDF]
Reprinted in The Advancement of Science: Science without Legend, Objectivity without Illusions, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1993, pp. 11—57; In Mendel's Mirror: Philosophical Reflections on Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003, pp. 45—93; and in Marc Lange (Ed), Philosophy of Science: An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, 2006, pp. 154—188.
Secondary Reading
Darwin, Charles. “Struggle for Existence” and “Natural Selection”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, John Murray, London, 1st Ed, 1859, Chapters 3 and 4, pp. 60–79 and 80–130. [PDF]
Plutynski, Anya and Warren J. Ewens. “Population Genetics”, in Sahotra Sarkar and Jessica Pfeifer (Eds), The Philosophy of Science: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, New York, 2005, pp. 578–585. [PDF]
Multimedia
Listen, with slides, to Elliott Sober present an overview of Darwin's theory here. The paper on which this talk is based is:
Elliott Sober, “Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?”, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, Supplement 1, June 2009, pp. 10048–10055. [URI]
Lecture Three (Monday 14 September)
Introductory Reading
Sober (Chapter 2, “Creationism”).
Primary Reading
Elliott Sober, “Intelligent Design” in Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008. [PDF] [References]
For today, read Sections 2.1–2.15 (Section 2.14 may be skipped).
Multimedia
Watch (or listen) to Michael Ruse ask “Is Darwinism Past its ‘Sell-By’ Date?” here.
Lecture Four (Wednesday 16 September)
Primary Reading
Elliott Sober, “Intelligent Design” in Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008.
For today, read Sections 2.16–2.22.
Multimedia
Watch Kenneth R. Miller present an overview of the evidence for evolution, criticise the argument from irreducible complexity, and endorse theistic evolutionism here. Two papers expanding Miller's remarks on the argument from irreducible complexity are:
Kenneth R. Miller, “Answering the Biochemical Argument from Design”, in Neil A. Manson (Ed), God and Design: The Teleological Argument and Modern Science, Routledge, London, 2003, pp. 292–307. [URI]
Kenneth R. Miller, “The Flagellum Unspun: The Collapse of “Irreducible Complexity””, in William A. Dembski and Michael Ruse (Eds), Debating Design: From Darwin to DNA, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004, pp. 81–97. [URI]
Section II: Natural Selection
Overview
Stephens, Christopher. 2007. “Natural Selection”, in Matthen, Mohan and Stephens, Christopher (Eds), Philosophy of Biology, Handbook of the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 3, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 111–127. [PDF]
Lecture Five (Monday 21 September)
Primary Reading
Walsh, Denis M. 1998. “The Scope of Selection: Sober and Neander on What Natural Selection Explains”, in Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 76, No. 2, June 1998, pp. 250–264. [URI]
Secondary Reading
Forber, Patrick. 2005. “On the Explanatory Roles of Natural Selection”, in Biology and Philosophy, Vol. 20,
No. 2, March 2005, pp. 329–342. [URI]
Lecture Six (Wednesday 23 September)
Introductory Reading
Alexander Rosenberg and Frederic Bouchard. 2008. “Fitness”, in Edward N. Zalta (Ed), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, Stanford, 2008. [URI]
Primary Reading
Sober (Chapter 3, “Fitness”).
Secondary Reading
Brandon, Robert N. 1978. “Adaptation and Evolutionary Theory”, in Studies In History and Philosophy of Science Part A, Vol. 9, No. 3, September 1978, pp. 181–206. [PDF]
Reprinted in Rosenberg, Alexander and Robert Arp. 2010. Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, pp. 103–120.
Mills, Susan K. and John H. Beatty. 1979. “The Propensity Interpretation of Fitness”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 46, No. 2, June 1979, pp. 263–286. [URI]
Reprinted in Elliott Sober (Ed). 2006. Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology: An Anthology, 3rd Ed, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, pp. 3–24.
Lecture Seven (Monday 28 September)
Primary Reading
Elliott Sober, “The Two Faces of Fitness”, in Thinking about Evolution: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Perspectives, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000, pp. 309—321.[PDF]
Reprinted in Elliott Sober (Ed). 2006. Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology: An Anthology, 3rd Ed, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, pp. 25–40.
Secondary Reading
Orr, H. Allen. 2009. “Fitness and its Role in Evolutionary Genetics”, in Nature Reviews Genetics, Vol. 10, No. 8, August 2009, pp. 531–539. [URI]
Ariew, André and Zachary Ernst, “What Fitness Can't Be”, in Erkenntnis, forthcoming. [URI]
Abrams, Marshall. 2009. “What Determines Biological Fitness? The Problem of the
Reference Environment”, in Synthese, Vol. 166, No. 1, January 2009, pp.
21–40. [URI]
No Class (Wednesday 30 September)
No Class (Monday 5 October)
Lecture Eight (Wednesday 7 October)
Primary Reading
Matthen, Mohan and Ariew, André 2002. “Two Ways of Thinking about Fitness and Natural Selection”, in The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 99, No. 2, February 2002, pp. 55–83. [PDF]
Secondary Reading
Walsh, Denis M, Tim Lewens, and Ariew, André. 2002. “The Trials of Life: Natural Selection and Random Drift”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 69, No. 3, September 2002, pp. 429–446. [URI]
Lecture Nine (Monday 12 October)
Primary Reading
Reisman, Kenneth and Patrick Forber. 2005. “Manipulation and the Causes of Evolution”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 72, No. 5, December 2005, pp. 1113–1123. [URI]
Secondary Reading
Shapiro, Lawrence A and Elliott Sober. 2007. “Epiphenomenalism—The Do's and the Don'ts”, in Thinking about Causes: From Greek Philosophy to Modern Physics, Pittsburgh-Konstanz Series in the Philosophy and History of Science, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, pp. 235–264. [PDF]
Abrams, Marshall. 2007. “How Do Natural Selection and Random Drift Interact?”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 74, No. 5, December 2007, pp. 666–679. [URI]
Matthen, Mohan and Ariew, André. forthcoming. “Selection and Causation”, in Philosophy of Science. [PDF]
Lecture Ten (Wednesday 14 October)
Introductory Reading
Fodor, Jerry A. 2007. “Why Pigs Don't Have Wings”, in London Review of Books, Vol. 29, No. 20, 18 October 2007, pp. 19–22. [URI]
Primary Reading
Fodor, Jerry A. 2008. “Against Darwinism”, in Mind and Language, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 2008, pp. 1–24.[URI]
Secondary Reading
See the commentaries by Daniel C. Dennett, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Elliott Sober, and a reply by Fodor, here.
Special Event (Friday 16 October)
Massimo Pigliucci will give an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology colloquium talk on “Evolutionary Theory: Toward an Extended Synthesis?”. The colloquium starts at 3:00pm in Hutchison Hall 316. Useful papers to read beforehand are:
Pigliucci, Massimo. 2007. “Do we Need an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis?”, in Evolution, Vol. 61, No. 12, December 2007, pp. 2743–2749. [URI]
Pigliucci, Massimo. 2009. “An Extended Synthesis for Evolutionary Biology”, in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1168, pp. 218–228. [URI]
Lecture Eleven (Monday 19 October)
No particular readings scheduled for today. We'll have a general discussion on the course so far, a review session for the exam, and perhaps some continued discussion on Fodor (the discussion I referred to in class is here). You may submit a reading summary on any of the readings for the course so far.
Exam (Wednesday 21 October)
Sample exam questions are available here [PDF]
Lecture Twelve (Monday 26 October)
Cancelled
Lecture Thirteen (Wednesday 28 October)
Cancelled
Lecture Fourteen (Monday 2 November)
Introductory Reading
Tim Lewens. 2007. “Functions”, in Matthen, Mohan and Stephens, Christopher (Eds), Philosophy of Biology, Handbook of the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 3, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 525–547. [PDF]
Primary Reading
Godfrey-Smith, Peter. 1993. “Functions: Consensus Without Unity”, in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 3, September 1993, pp. 196–208. [PDF]
Reprinted in Hull, David L. and Michael Ruse (Eds). 1998. The Philosophy of Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 258–279; and in Buller, David J. 1999. Function, Selection, and Design, State University of New York Press, Albany NY, pp. 185–198.
Secondary Reading
Kitcher, Philip. 1993. “Function and Design”, Peter A. French, Theodore E. Uehling Jr., and Howard K. Wettstein (Eds), Philosophy of Science, Vol. 18, Midwest Studies in Philosophy, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, pp. 379–397. [PDF]
Reprinted in Allen, Colin, Marc Bekoff, and George V. Lauder (Eds). 1997. Nature's Purposes: Analyses of Function and Design in Biology, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, pp. 479–504; Hull, David L. and Michael Ruse (Eds). 1998. The Philosophy of Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 258–279; Buller, David J. 1999. Function, Selection, and Design, State University of New York Press, Albany NY, pp. 159–184; and Kitcher, Philip. 2003. In Mendel's Mirror: Philosophical Reflections on Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 159–176.
Amundson, Ron and George V. Lauder. 1994. “Function without Purpose”, in Biology and Philosophy, Vol. 9, No. 4, October 1994, pp. 443–469. [PDF]
Reprinted in Hull, David L. and Michael Ruse (Eds). 1998. The Philosophy of Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 227–257.
Cummins, Robert. 2002. “Neo-Teleology”, in Ariew, André, Cummins, Robert, and Mark Perlman (Eds), Functions: New Essays in the Philosophy of Psychology and Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 157–173. [PDF]
Reprinted in Rosenberg, Alexander and Robert Arp. 2010. Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, pp. 164–174.
Lecture Fifteen (Wednesday 4 November)
Introductory Reading
Lloyd, Elisabeth A. 2005. “Units and Levels of Selection”, in Edward N. Zalta (Ed), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, Stanford, 2005. [URI]
Revised version published as “Units and Levels of Selection”, in David L. Hull and Michael Ruse (Eds), The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007, pp. 44–65.
Okasha, Samir. 2008. “Units and Levels of Selection”, in Sahotra Sarkar and Anya Plutynski (Eds), A Companion to the Philosophy of Biology, Blackwell, Malden MA, pp. 138–156. [PDF]
Primary Reading
Sober (Chapter 4, “The Units of Selection Problem”).
Secondary Reading
Elliott Sober and Richard C. Lewontin. 1982. “Artifact, Cause, and Genic Selection”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 49, No. 2, June 1982, pp. 157–180. [URI]
Reprinted in Elliott Sober (Ed). 1984. Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology: An Anthology, 1st Ed, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, pp. 210–231; and Rosenberg, Alexander and Robert Arp. 2010. Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, pp. 297–312.
Lecture Sixteen (Monday 9 November)
Primary Reading
Sterelny, Kim and Kitcher, Philip. 1988. “The Return of the Gene”, in The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 85, No. 7, July 1988, pp. 339–361. [URI]
Reprinted in Sterelny, Kim. 2001. The Evolution of Agency and Other Essays, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 29–52; Kitcher, Philip. 2003. In Mendel's Mirror: Philosophical Reflections on Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 94–112; and Rosenberg, Alexander and Robert Arp. 2010. Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology, Blackwell, Malden MA, pp. 313–326.
Secondary Reading
Elliott Sober. 1990. “The Poverty of Pluralism: A Reply to Sterelny and Kitcher”, in The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 87, No. 3, March 1990, pp. 151–158. [URI]
Kitcher, Philip, Sterelny, Kim, and C. Kenneth Waters. 1990. “The Illusory Riches of Sober's Monism”, in The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 87, No. 3, March 1990, pp. 158–161. [URI]
Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson. 1994. “A Critical Review of Philosophical Work on the Units of Selection Problem”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 61, No. 4, December 1994, pp. 534–555. [URI]
Reprinted in Hull, David L. and Michael Ruse (Eds). 1998. The Philosophy of Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 198–220.
Okasha, Samir. 2005. “Multilevel Selection and the Major Transitions in Evolution”, in Philosophy of Science, Vol. 72, No. 5, December 2005, pp. 1013–1025. [URI]
Lecture Seventeen (Wednesday 11 November)
Multimedia
Watch Daniel C. Dennett claim that nature is full of optimal design in an interview at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Symposium. [mov, ~220mb]
Dennett's ideas on this topic are most fully spelled out in his Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1995. For a critical review, see Orr, H. Allen. 1996. “Dennett's Strange Idea”, in Boston Review, Vol. 21, No. 3, Summer 1996. [URI]
Lecture Eighteen (Monday 16 November)
Lecture Nineteen (Wednesday 18 November)
Lecture Twenty (Monday 23 November)
Lecture Twenty One (Wednesday 25 November)
Lecture Twenty Two (Monday 30 November)
Lecture Twenty Three (Wednesday 2 December)
Lecture Twenty Four (Monday 7 December)
Lecture Twenty Five (Wednesday 9 December)
