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Evolutionary Causation: Biological and Philosophical Reflections
Contributor(s): Uller, Tobias (Editor), Lala, Kevin N. (Editor)
ISBN: 0262039923     ISBN-13: 9780262039925
Publisher: MIT Press
OUR PRICE:   $59.40  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: September 2019
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Science | Life Sciences - Evolution
- Philosophy
Dewey: 576.8
LCCN: 2018042611
Series: Vienna Theoretical Biology
Physical Information: 1.1" H x 7.1" W x 9.1" (1.85 lbs) 360 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
A comprehensive treatment of the concept of causation in evolutionary biology that makes clear its central role in both historical and contemporary debates.

Most scientific explanations are causal. This is certainly the case in evolutionary biology, which seeks to explain the diversity of life and the adaptive fit between organisms and their surroundings. The nature of causation in evolutionary biology, however, is contentious. How causation is understood shapes the structure of evolutionary theory, and historical and contemporary debates in evolutionary biology have revolved around the nature of causation. Despite its centrality, and differing views on the subject, the major conceptual issues regarding the nature of causation in evolutionary biology are rarely addressed. This volume fills the gap, bringing together biologists and philosophers to offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment of evolutionary causation.

Contributors first address biological motivations for rethinking evolutionary causation, considering the ways in which development, extra-genetic inheritance, and niche construction challenge notions of cause and process in evolution, and describing how alternative representations of evolutionary causation can shed light on a range of evolutionary problems. Contributors then analyze evolutionary causation from a philosophical perspective, considering such topics as causal entanglement, the commingling of organism and environment, and the relationship between causation and information.

Contributors
John A. Baker, Lynn Chiu, David I. Dayan, Ren e A. Duckworth, Marcus W Feldman, Susan A. Foster, Melissa A. Graham, Heikki Helanter , Kevin N. Laland, Armin P. Moczek, John Odling-Smee, Jun Otsuka, Massimo Pigliucci, Arnaud Pocheville, Arlin Stoltzfus, Karola Stotz, Sonia E. Sultan, Christoph Thies, Tobias Uller, Denis M. Walsh, Richard A. Watson

Contributor Bio(s): Uller, Tobias: - Tobias Uller is Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Lund University, Sweden.Pigliucci, Massimo: - Massimo Pigliucci is Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York.Watson, Richard A.: - Richard A. Watson is a Senior Lecturer in the BIO@ECS Research Group, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton.Laland, Kevin N.: - Kevin N. Laland is Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the University of St. Andrews.Uller, Tobias: - Tobias Uller is Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Lund University, Sweden.