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Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy: An Introduction (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology)
Sahotra Sarkar
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Requiem for Nature
ASIN: 0521851327 |
Book Description
This book explores the epistemological and ethical issues at the foundations of environmental philosophy, emphasizing the conservation of biodiversity. Sahota Sarkar criticizes previous attempts to attribute intrinsic value to nature and defends an anthropocentric position on biodiversity conservation based on an untraditional concept of transformative value. Unlike other studies in the field of environmental philosophy, this book is as much concerned with epistemological issues as with environmental ethics. It covers a broad range of topics, including problems of explanation and prediction in traditional ecology and how individual-based models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is transforming ecology. Introducing a brief history of conservation biology, Sarkar analyzes the new consensus framework for conservation planning through adaptive management. He concludes with a discussion of the future directions for theoretical research in conservation biology and environmental philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
MA thesis.......2006-11-05
I am doing MA -thesis over biodiversity at Joensuu university in Finland
That book is very important to me, thank you!
Yours
Esko Kiovistö
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Information and Meaning in Evolutionary Processes (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology)
William F. Harms
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521815142 |
Book Description
William Harms develops the conceptual foundations and tools for a science of knowledge through the application of evolutionary theory, thus allowing us to acknowledge the legacy of skepticism while denying its relativistic offspring. The most significant legacy of philosophical skepticism is the realization that our concepts, beliefs and theories are social constructs. This belief has led to epistemological relativism, or the thesis that, since there is no ultimate truth about the world, theory preferences are only a matter of opinion.
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to follow
Customer Reviews:
A random mix, not for the beginner..........2004-02-05
Although this book has many papers that weigh in on current debates, some papers are simply rewrites of older material. There is very little "road-mapping"-- the editors seem to assume some familiarity with the field already. Plus many of the authors seem to talk past each other.
Overall, though, there are some really excellent ideas and great insights. Pick up an intro anthology first, then dive in to this one.
Book Description
In this powerful work of conceptual and analytical originality, the author argues for the primacy of the material arrangements of the laboratory in the dynamics of modern molecular biology. In a post-Kuhnian move away from the hegemony of theory, he develops a new epistemology of experimentation in which research is treated as a process for producing epistemic things.
A central concern of the book is the basic question of how novelty is generated in the empirical sciences. In addressing this question, the author brings French poststructuralist thinking—notably Jacques Derrida’s concepts of “différance” and “historiality”—to bear on the construction of epistemic things. Historiographical perspective shifts from the actors’ minds to their objects of manipulation.
These epistemological and historical issues are illuminated in a detailed case study of a particular laboratory, that of the oncologist and biochemist Paul C. Zamecnik and his colleagues, located in a specific setting—the Collis P. Huntington Memorial Hospital of Harvard University at the Massachusetts General Hospital of Boston. The author traces how, between 1945 and 1965, this group developed an experimental system for synthesizing proteins in the test tube that put Zamecnik’s research team at the forefront of those who led biochemistry into the era of molecular biology.
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Evolution's First Philosopher: John Dewey and the Continuity of Nature (S U N Y Series in Philosophy and Biology)
Jerome A. Popp
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
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ASIN: 079146959X |
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Examines John Dewey's ideas in the context of evolutionary theory.
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Self-organization and Emergence in Life Sciences (Synthese Library) (Synthese Library)
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 1402039166 |
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Self-organization constitutes one of the most important theoretical debates in contemporary life sciences. The present book explores the relevance of the concept of self-organization and its impact on such scientific fields as: immunology, neurosciences, ecology and theories of evolution. Historical aspects of the issue are also broached. Intuitions relative to self-organization can be found in the works of such key western philosophical figures as Aristotle, Leibniz and Kant. Interacting with more recent authors and cybernetics, self-organization represents a notion in keeping with the modern world's discovery of radical complexity. The themes of teleology and emergence are analyzed by philosophers of sciences with regards to the issues of modelization and scientific explanation. The implications of self-organization for life sciences are here approached from an interdisciplinary angle, revealing the notion as already rewarding and full of promise for the future.
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Readers of the Book of Life: Contextualizing Developmental Evolutionary Biology
Anton Markos
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Nature's Due: Healing Our Fragmented Culture
ASIN: 0195149483 |
Book Description
This is a wide ranging and deeply learned examination of evolutionary developmental biology, and the foundations of life from the perspective of information theory. Hermeneutics was a method developed in the humanities to achieve understanding, in a given context, of texts, history, and artwork. In Readers of the Book of Life, the author shows that living beings are also hermeneutical interpreters of genetics texts saved in DNA; an interpretation based on the past experience of the cell (cell lineage, species), confronted with and incorporating present environmental clues. This approach stresses the history, not only of the digital record saved in the DNA, but also of the flesh - the cellular organization which has a direct time-continuity with the very origins of life. This book is aimed at reconciling two opposite approaches to life. The first strictly sticking to a belief that all phenomena observed in the realm of the living can be explained from laws of physics. The opposite stressing the importance of features characteristic for a given level of description. To bring both views into a common understanding, the first part gives a comparison of the two problem solving strategies. The second part surveys the development of 20th century biology, bringing to light branches that never became part of the research mainstream. The third section of the book reviews a large body of recent evidence that can be interpreted in favor of the hermeneutic arguments.
Book Description
This book is an essay on how people make sense of each other and the world they live in. Making sense is the activity of fitting something puzzling into a coherent pattern of mental representations that include concepts, beliefs, goals, and actions. Paul Thagard proposes a general theory of coherence as the satisfaction of multiple interacting constraints, and discusses the theory's numerous psychological and philosophical applications. Much of human cognition can be understood in terms of coherence as constraint satisfaction, and many of the central problems of philosophy can be given coherence-based solutions. Thagard shows how coherence can help to unify psychology and philosophy, particularly when addressing questions of epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. He also shows how coherence can integrate cognition and emotion.
Customer Reviews:
excellent.......2007-03-21
Redefines human rationality in terms of coherence with excellent concision. Reads quickly and is filled with interesting views.
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Biology and Epistemology (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology)
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521597013 |
Book Description
This set of original essays by some of the most distinguished names in philosophy of science explores a range of diverse issues at the intersection of biology and epistemology. The studies, taken together, help to develop and deepen our understanding of how biology works and what counts as warranted knowledge and as legitimate approaches to the study of life. The volume will interest professionals and graduate students in biology and the history and philosophy of science.
Book Description
Most philosophers writing about personal identity in recent years claim that what it takes for us to persist through time is a matter of psychology. In this groundbreaking new book, Eric Olson argues that such approaches face daunting problems, and he defends in their place a radically non-psychological account of personal identity. He defines human beings as biological organisms, and claims that no psychological relation is either sufficient or necessary for an organism to persist. Rejecting several famous thought experiments dealing with personal identity, he instead argues that one could survive the destruction of all of one's psychological contents and capabilities as long as the human organism remains alive.
Customer Reviews:
fascinating.......2003-10-30
Having only recently stumbled upon the significance of the difference between my living self and the corpse I will become, I am grateful to find this clear, intelligent and thoughtful analysis available.
The argument presented is that there's more to us than the psychological aspects of these animal bodies we move-about in. There is also the biological basis out of which we emerge as persons from infancy, as well as the biological basis to which we return when our exquisite minds lose potency.
In short, there is more to us than our cherished mental processes. The fact that this "more" is strictly biological may be distasteful to many readers. However, I find that the perspective is factual and important.
The territory covered extends from the ordinary, casual definition of personhood to the ontological basis for such possibility. It is a well-guided tour.
The author teaches as much about the nature of philosophy and how it is conducted as he does about the true nature of people. It is an extremely enjoyable read.
Wonderful book.......2001-10-24
I'm fortunate enough to be lectured by the author, and his remarkable character shines through in this fascinating and well written book. Even if you don't agree with what he is saying, he is very convincing, and entertaining at the same time.
It'll certainly get you thinking.
Customer Reviews:
Descends into the pseudoscientific style.......2005-01-28
Dr. Louis A. Frank has emphatically championed a very controversial theory. He believes that approximately 40,000 small comets are bombarding the Earth every day. In his theory, those comets are largely made up of water, and they are the origin of the majority of the water currently on the Earth. At the time this book was written, his theory was largely dismissed, but in the last five years, there has been some movement in his direction. Additional evidence has been discovered that indicates that something is going on, the unresolved question is whether it is due to the actions of water comets.
The problem with this book is that it occasionally reads like one of those nonsensical pseudoscience diatribes. It starts with the subtitle, which is the longest I have ever seen and continues into the dust jacket, where a paragraph is written entirely in uppercase. Inside, there are sentences that go beyond scientific arguments. For example, on page 123 there is the statement, "...there were objects out there that had never been detected before. It did not matter whether they were small comets, cometesimals, automobiles or sick cows." Well, yes it does, for his theory to be true those objects must be comets and one does not win scientific arguments by stating absurdities.
The descent into pseudoscientific jargon reaches a peak in chapter 24, "Where Are You Now, Galileo?" Every pseudoscientist quack uses the "they laughed at Galileo" argument. They try to convince people that their arguments are right by citing examples from history where the experts were wrong. However, this does nothing to strengthen their arguments and Frank is much too good a scientist to descend to this level. In fact, I will always remain convinced that this type of argument is an admission of how weak their positions are. Scientific theories will always live or die on the evidence and ad hominem attacks in defense of your scientific propositions only proves the weakness of your case.
There has been a slight movement in thought towards Frank's controversial theory in the past decade. However, while this book may convince some that he is right, the tone and form of the arguments do nothing to convince those who reach their conclusions based on the evidence. His cause would have been better served had he either not written it or maintained a scientific mindset when he did so.
Amazing and recently proved true!.......2004-06-20
Every so often you read a book that changes the way you look at everything because it shows that something we took for granted is wrong. This is one of those books. Frank is not a terrific writer. There are slow passages and sections that are overly detailed and filled with arcane information. However, he is a scientist that stumbled on the origin of water on Earth . . . small comets that are constantly hitting Earth's atmosphere. This is astounding and went against all of the accepted geologic theories of the origin of water on the planet.
This book is also about the tunnel vision of scientists and the vicious in-fighting that goes on in academia when the status quo is challenged. There is a truism that scientists don't change their minds; they just die off and are replaced by scientists who believe the new theories.
I read this book when it first came out and was mightily impressed. Just recently a newly lofted satellite has proven Frank correct and a Scientific American article detailed the proof and the fact that his nay-sayers are now either eating crow or are marginalized in their continued denial. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in Earth sciences.
The Big Letdown........2000-03-15
The subtitle overstates the significance of this book (A Scientific Discovery That Revolutionizes the Way We View the Origin of Life, the Water We Drink, etc). The Big Splash is very technical and , for those of us without a Doctorate in Geophysics it is quite a dry read. The references to the Space Program and the human elements that show the competition and back-stabbing that goes on in the scientific community are more interesting and help to move you to the end of the story, but, this is little solice for the feeling of being let down at the conclusion (or lack thereof) at the end of the book. Unfortunately, this book is probably the best you can find on the topic, though. I guess you cannot expect every scientific story to be a great read. If you need the data and answers to questions you can find in this book (like I did), you probably won't find it anywhere else. Grab a cup of strong coffee.
Incredibly involving, well written book........1999-06-30
Dr Frank develops a hypothesis that is very plausible, well supported and a suprisingly engrossing read. By the time I finished, my beliefs in the objectivity of the scientific community had been severly shaken.
He makes a rather complex subject easy to understand and enjoyable. If only I had been fortunate enough to have more teachers in college that could make a subject come alive.
Outstanding book about modern science and new discoveries.......1999-06-15
Frank explains in wonderful detail the problems that a scientist has when he makes an important discovery outside of his accepted expertise. He is not the first to suffer from this prejudice, nor will he be the last. But, it is important for us to be reminded that science too, often wears blinders and because of this, important discoveries are ignored and it takes decades before we are able to move forward in our knowledge of how things work.
Books:
- Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation: The Freshwater Fish of Tropical Africa
- Biological Magnetic Resonance - Volume 16: Modern Techniques in Protein NMR (Biological Magnetic Resonance)
- Biology: Concepts and Applications (Paperbound with CD-ROM, How Do I Prepare/vMentor, and BiologyNow/InfoTrac)
- Biology of Springtails (Insecta: Collembola)
- Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
- Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
- Biology Webct
- Biomaterials Science and Biocompatibility
- Biotic Interactions and Global Change
- Body Mass Index: New Research
Books Index
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- Phoenix in Perspective: Reflections on Developing the Desert
- Floating Cities: Venice, Amsterdam, Leningrad-And Moscow
- Handbook of Phycological Methods: Physiological and Biochemical Methods
