Thinking about Life: The History and Philosophy of Biology and Other Sciences

Description

Our previous book, About Life, concerned modern biology. We used our present-day understanding of cells to ‘define’ the living state, providing a basis for exploring several general-interest topics: the origin of life, extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and the possibility that humans are unique. The ideas we proposed in About Life were intended as starting-points for debate – we did not claim them as ‘truth’ – but the information on which they were based is currently accepted as ‘scientific fact’. What does that mean? What is ‘scientific fact’ and why is it accepted? What is science – and is biology like other sciences such as physics (except in subject m- ter)? The book you are now reading investigates these questions – and some related ones. Like About Life, it may particularly interest a reader who wishes to change career to biology and its related subdisciplines. In line with a recommendation by the British Association for the Advancement of Science – that the public should be given fuller information about the nature of science – we present the concepts underpinning biology and a survey of its historical and philosophical basis. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv What is Science?....Pages 1-11 Culture, Technology and Knowledge....Pages 13-23 Classical Roots....Pages 25-36 Mediaeval Views of the World....Pages 37-55 The Scientific Revolution....Pages 57-74 The ‘Scientific Revolution’ in Biology....Pages 75-88 Aristotle's Biology....Pages 89-98 How Different Are Organisms from Inanimate Objects?....Pages 99-113 Cell Theory and Experimental Physiology: New Ideas in a Changing Society....Pages 115-127 Embryos and Entelechy....Pages 129-145 Spontaneous Generation....Pages 147-159 The Evolution of Darwinism....Pages 161-176 The Great Heredity Debate....Pages 177-192 Evolutionary Theory Attains Maturity....Pages 193-205 The Problem of Purpose....Pages 207-214 The Scientific Status of Biology....Pages 215-228 Back Matter....Pages 229-267