Darwinian Reductionism: Or, How to Stop Worrying and Love Molecular BiologyAfter the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, scientists working in molecular biology embraced reductionism—the theory that all complex systems can be understood in terms of their components. Reductionism, however, has been widely resisted by both nonmolecular biologists and scientists working outside the field of biology. Many of these antireductionists, nevertheless, embrace the notion of physicalism—the idea that all biological processes are physical in nature. How, Alexander Rosenberg asks, can these self-proclaimed physicalists also be antireductionists? With clarity and wit, Darwinian Reductionism navigates this difficult and seemingly intractable dualism with convincing analysis and timely evidence. In the spirit of the few distinguished biologists who accept reductionism—E. O. Wilson, Francis Crick, Jacques Monod, James Watson, and Richard Dawkins—Rosenberg provides a philosophically sophisticated defense of reductionism and applies it to molecular developmental biology and the theory of natural selection, ultimately proving that the physicalist must also be a reductionist. |
Contents
1 | |
1 What Was Reductionism? | 25 |
2 Reductionism and DevelopmentalMolecular Biology | 56 |
3 Are There Really Informational Genesand Developmental Programs? | 94 |
4 Dobzhanskys Dictum and the Natureof Biological Explanation | 134 |
5 Central Tendencies and IndividualOrganisms | 157 |
Other editions - View all
Darwinian Reductionism: Or, How to Stop Worrying and Love Molecular Biology Alexander Rosenberg No preview available - 2006 |
Darwinian Reductionism: Or, How to Stop Worrying and Love Molecular Biology Alexander Rosenberg No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
adaptation amino acids antireductionism antireductionist argument behavior biological explanation biologists biology’s butterfly causal cells ceteris paribus chapter chemical chromatin chromosome claim codon cognitive complete cooperation course Darwinian derived design problem developmental biology disjunction distinction DNA sequences Drosophila ecological fitness effects embryo entropy environment enzymes epigenetic evolution evolutionary example explanatory expression eyespot functional biology gene products genetic determinism genetic program genome hemoglobin Homo sapiens how-possible human identify individual initial conditions intentionality introns Kitcher large number macromolecular matter mechanism meiosis microRNAs models molecular biology molecules mRNA multiple realizability natural selection nonderived normal nucleic acids nucleic-acid sequences nucleotide operation organisms particular pattern phenotype physical facts physical science physicalist population properties protein question realize reduction reductionism reductionist replication requires research program result role second law species strategy structure supervenience theory of natural thesis tion traits ultimate explanations vindicate why-necessary explanation widowbird wing
Popular passages
Page x - It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.
References to this book
Philosophy of Biology: A Contemporary Introduction Alexander Rosenberg,Daniel W. McShea No preview available - 2008 |