Trees of Life: Essays in Philosophy of Biology - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 1992 edition

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Papers from the Philosophical Problems in Evolutionary Biology Conference, held at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, Aug. 1990. Table of Contents: Preface. Introduction; P. Griffiths. Section One: Beyond Natural Selection. Models of Cultural Evolution; E. Sober. Punctuated Equilibrium and Macroevolution; K. Sterelny. Margins of Cladistics: Identity, Difference and Place in the Emergence of Phylogenetic Systematics 1864-1975; R. Craw. Section Two: Central Concepts of Evolutionary Theory. Adaptive Explanation and the Concept of a Vestige; P. Griffiths. Selection, Drift and the Aims of Evolutionary Theory; T. Shanahan. Section Three: The Developmental Systems Approach. Death of the Gene: Developmental Systems Strike Back; R. Gray. Ontogeny and Phylogeny: A Case of Metarecapitulation? S. Oyama. Against Ontogeny; J. R. Morss. Index. Publisher Marketing: This volume contains papers presented by New Zealand and American philosophers of biology during a recent visit to New Zealand by Elliott Sober. Some of the papers reveal a local perspective on current debates. Robin Craw's contribution to the evolutionary philosophy of science initiated by David Hull, applies to intellectual evolution the stongly biogeographic approach to the evolution of life that is a recognized New Zealand speciality. Susan Oyama and Russell Gray's papers on the developmental systems approach to evolution, for example, are the outcome of several years of fruitful exchange. The remaining papers in the volume cover a range of topics. In addition to Sober's own discussion of post-sociobiological treatments of cultural evolution the volume includes Kim Sterelny's evaluation of macroevolution, Paul Griffiths' analysis of adaptation and vestigialty, John Morss on the notion of ontogeny and Timothy Shanahan on the concept of drift.

Contributor Bio:  Griffiths, Paul Paul Griffiths, former chief music critic of the "New Yorker" and a regular contributor to the "New York Times," has been writing about music professionally for more than thirty years and is a recipient of the Commonwealth Writers Prize.