Philosophy of Experimental Biology
Philosophy of Experimental Biology explores some central philosophical issues concerning scientific research in experimental biology, including genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, and microbiology. It seeks to make sense of the explanatory strategies, conc...
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| Format: | eBook Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge
Cambridge University Press
2005
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| Edition: | 1 |
| Series: | Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| ISBN: | 0521829453, 9780521143448, 9780521829458, 0521143446 |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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Table of Contents:
- 8 Developmental Biology and the Genetic Program: Explaining Ontogeny -- 8.1 A CRITIQUE OF DEVELOPMENTAL SYSTEMS THEORY -- 8.2 PATTERN FORMATION IN DROSOPHILA -- 8.3 THE CONCEPT OF INFORMATION IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY -- 8.4 IS DNA A MASTER MOLECULE? -- SUMMARY -- 9 Scientific Realism: In Search of the Truth -- 9.1 REALISM ABOUT WHAT? -- 9.2 THE ''MIRACLE ARGUMENT" -- 9.3 THE EXPERIMENTALIST ARGUMENT -- 9.4 THE ARGUMENT FROM INDEPENDENT DETERMINATIONS -- 9.5 EXPERIMENTAL ARTIFACTS: LESSONS FROM THE MESOSOME -- SUMMARY -- Notes -- CHAPTER 1 -- CHAPTER 2 -- CHAPTER 3 -- CHAPTER 4 -- CHAPTER 5 -- CHAPTER 6 -- CHAPTER 7 -- CHAPTER 8 -- CHAPTER 9 -- Bibliography -- Index
- Cover -- Half-title -- Series-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Reductionism and the Nature of Explanations -- 2.1 THE MECHANISM OF ACTION POTENTIALS IN NEUROTRANSMISSION -- 2.2 EXPLANATORY HETERONOMY -- 2.3 LAWS AND NATURAL KINDS -- 2.4 FUNCTIONS AND FUNCTIONAL EXPLANATION -- 2.5 MULTIPLE REALIZATION AND THE NEW REDUCTIONISM -- SUMMARY -- 3 Discovery: Solving Biological Problems -- 3.1 MOLECULAR GENETICS: DEDUCED FROM EXPERIMENTS? -- 3.2 MENDELIAN GENETICS: RESOLVING ANOMALIES -- 3.3 THE UREA CYCLE: INTELLIGIBLE TO REASON -- 3.4 IS THERE A LOGIC OF GENERATION? -- SUMMARY -- 4 Scientific Inference: Testing Hypotheses -- 4.1 THE OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION CONTROVERSY IN BIOCHEMISTRY -- 4.2 EXPERIMENTAL TESTS OF MITCHELL'S THEORY -- 4.3 UNDERDETERMINATION AND DUHEM'S PROBLEM -- 4.4 RECONSTITUTION AND CLOSURE -- 4.5 WHY BIOCHEMISTS ARE NOT BAYESIANS -- 4.6 ARGUING FROM ERROR -- 4.7 THE CONTROL EXPERIMENT -- SUMMARY -- 5 Experimental Systems: A Life of Their Own? -- 5.1 EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMS AS FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF RESEARCH -- 5.2 OX-PHOS REVISITED -- 5.3 THE ROLE OF EPISTEMIC NORMS -- 5.4 LOCAL SETTINGS VERSUS UNIVERSAL STANDARDS -- SUMMARY -- 6 Model Organisms: Of Flies and Elephants -- 6.1 THE MOLECULARIZATION OF DROSOPHILA -- 6.2 MODEL ORGANISMS AS ''SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION" -- 6.3 THE SHORTCOMINGS OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC METAPHORS -- 6.4 PREPARATIVE EXPERIMENTATION -- 6.5 ''RIGHT CHOICES" OR CO-CONSTRUCTION? -- 6.6 WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM STUDYING MODEL ORGANISMS? -- SUMMARY -- 7 Reference and Conceptual Change: Out of Mendel's Garden? -- 7.1 THE GENE CONCEPT IN FLUX -- 7.2 CHANGING MODES OF REFERENCE -- 7.3 CLASSICAL AND MOLECULAR GENES IN DROSOPHILA -- 7.4 BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY, ESSENTIALISM, AND FLOATING REFERENCE -- SUMMARY