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Philosophy of biology


Philosophy of biology (also called, rarely, biophilosophy) is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences. Although philosophers of science and philosophers generally have long been interested in biology (e.g., Aristotle, Descartes, and even Kant), philosophy of biology only emerged as an indepedent field of philosophy in the 1960s and 1970s. Philosophers of science then began paying increasing attention to developments in biology, from the rise of Neodarwinism in the 1930s and 1940s to the discovery of the structure of Deoxyribonucleic acid in 1953 to more recent advances in genetic engineering. Philosophy of biology today has become a very visible, well-organized discipline -- with its own journals, conferences, and professional organizations.

Contemporary philosophers of biology have largely avoided traditional questions about the distinction between life and nonlife. Instead, they have examined the practices, theories, and concepts of biologists with a view toward better understanding biology as a scientific discipline (or group of scientific fields). A few of the questions philosophers of biology have attempted to answer, for example, include:

  • How is ecology related to medicine?
  • What is a biological species?
  • How is rationality possible, given our biological origins?
  • How might our biological understandings of race, sexuality, and gender reflect social values?
  • What is natural selection, and how does it operate in nature?
  • Is evolution compatible with Christianity or other religious systems?
  • How do medical doctors explain disease?
  • And many others...

Reductionism, holism, & vitalism

One subject within philosophy of biology deals with the relationship between reductionism and holism, contending views with epistemological and methodological significance, but also with ethical and metaphysical connotations.

  • Scientific reductionism is the view that higher-level processes can generally be better understood by looking at their constiuent lower-level processes. For example, if we reduce the circulatory system to the dynamics of its parts rather than viewing it as a whole, it becomes evident it flows because the heart pumps its blood.
  • Holism is the view that emphasizes higher-level processes, also called emergent properties: phenomena at a larger level that occur due to the pattern of interactions between the elements of a system over time. For example, if we wanted to explain why one species of finch survived a draught while others died out, the holistic method looks at the entire ecosystem as a whole. Reducing an ecosystem to its parts in this case would be less effective at explaining overall behavior (in this case, the decrease in biodiversity). See also Holistic science)
    • Vitalism is the view, rejected by mainstream biologists since the 19th century, that there is a life-force (called the "vis viva") that has thus far been unmeasurable scientifically that gives living organisms their "life." Vitalists often claimed that the vis viva acts with purposes according to its pre-established "form." (see teleology.) Examples of vitalist philosophy are found in many religions. Mainstream biologists reject vitalism because they subcribe to the scientific method. The scientific method was designed as a methodology to build an extremely reliable understanding of the world, that is, a supportable, evidenced understanding. Following this epistemological view, mainstream scientists reject phenomenon that haven't been scientifically measured, and thus reject vitalist explanations.

Some philosophers of biology have attempted to explain the rise and fall of reductionism, vitalism, and holism throughout the history of biology. For example, these philosophers claim that the ideas of Charles Darwin ended the last remainders of teleological views from biology. Debates in these areas of philosophy of biology turn on how one views reductionism.

See Also

Philosophy of chemistry

Philosophy of science

Last updated: 05-09-2005 13:59:35
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