Evolution Sociobiology 4: individuals as groups, and a summary 21 Nov 200718 Sep 2017 This is the fourth of a series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Wilson and Wilson (W&W) then continue on to employ some recent work on individuals as groups, and the “major transitions” literature. Continue Reading
Ecology and Biodiversity Species as objects of explanation 11 Nov 200718 Sep 2017 Following on from my previous post “Are species theoretical objects”, I want now to discuss what the status of species as phenomenal objects is. Continue Reading
Evolution Homology 10 Nov 20074 Oct 2017 I’ve been so busy reading and assimilating the latest issue of Biology and Philosophy I forgot to let you all know about it. It’s a special issue on Homology, edited by Paul Griffiths and Ingo Brigandt. A discussion group has now been set up at Matt Haber’s blog The Philosophy… Continue Reading
Logic and philosophy Explaining religion 2 – what is religion? 25 Oct 200718 Sep 2017 I now turn to the question of explananda – what is it that explanations of religion are adduced to explain? Continue Reading
Evolution What Evolution Is and What It Is Not (1897) 6 Oct 2007 I found this interesting and still surprisingly modern essay by David Starr Jordan in 1897, at William Tozier’s blog, where he had scanned it from a journal called The Arena. They had some good public discussion journals at the time. So I took his scan and OCR’d and corrected it,… Continue Reading
Ecology and Biodiversity The constancy of change and the lack of balance 16 Sep 2007 All the strangers look like family All the family looks so strange The only constant I am sure of Is this accelerating rate of change — Peter Gabriel, Downside-Up, from the Ovo Album Creek Running North has a delightful rumination on the lack of a balance of nature, in which… Continue Reading
Evolution What is “life”, at last 13 Sep 200718 Sep 2017 Recently, that is since 1975 or so, the view has arisen that a living thing is something that satisfies several conditions. Continue Reading
Ecology and Biodiversity The meaning of “life” 6 Sep 2007 Carl Zimmer has one of his usually clear and precise articles on recent work on the nature of life, focussing on the work of Carol Cleland, who is at the National Astrobiology Institute, despite reduced funding for actual science by the present administration. I met Carol last year when we… Continue Reading
Ecology and Biodiversity Theories of speciation 1 Sep 200718 Sep 2017 Continuing on from my last post, let’s consider the modes of speciation that are called into account for the existence of species. Continue Reading
Evolution Are species theoretical objects? 31 Aug 2007 A lot of people have said something like “species are the units of evolution”. What does this even mean? So far as I can tell, nobody has really fleshed this out. Continue Reading