Thinking about Biology 1st Edition by Stephen Webster (PDF)

Description

Thinking about Biology is intended for biology students who are interested in reflecting on the wider contexts of their studies. This 2003 book encourages students to see that biology does not deliver certainties; it discusses how biological ideas become established facts; it uses history to examine how ideas change, and to show that the biological facts that form the basis of a biology course are likely to change too. Each chapter is based on biological topics, and examines them for their philosophical, social and political implications. Topics covered include the role of natural selection in evolution, the history of ideas about fertilisation and inheritance, vivisection, and reductionism. Genetically modified foods, xenotransplantation, eugenics, and genetic testing are some of the controversial subjects discussed. Thinking About Biology should be essential reading for all college students already taking a biology course, and for those contemplating such a course in the future.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Philosophy puts many people off, and the same goes for philosophy of biology (PoB). As far as the latter is concerned, there is good reasons why many people are not interested. PoB is preoccupied with evolutionary biology. What counts as an adaptation, what is the best definition of a species, how altruism is possible – or what is it, anyway?, what is the level of selection: these are central topics in PoB. Lots of people are not particularly bothered by such issues, and so PoB gets a dusty image.Webster’s book shows that there is much more to PoB than evolutionary conundrums. It is refreshingly openminded towards the choice of topics. To be sure, there is a chapter on evolution, but this is certainly not the lion’s part of the book. In fact, the central theme is the interaction between biology and society. This theme is illustrated by historical as well as very up to date issues. A choice selection: Eugenics, Human Genome Project, the use of animals in research, research ethics. The book also touches on some general themes in Philosophy of Science, such as the status of `facts’, and reductionism.The style of presentation is unpretentious and accessible. Although there is no Reference section (making the book suspect – `unscientific’ – for some people), references to relevant literature is made throughout the book in footnotes. These are remarkably up-to-date, covering some material from 2002!`Thinking about Biology’ is a wellcome addition to the literature of PoB. The only drawback is that sometimes there is much description of how things went, as in the Mad Cow Disease history, but little analysis of a basic problem this history illustrates, namely that scientists and politicians do communicate so badly. But it makes very clear that such a problem exists, and biology students should take good notice of such points!

⭐Vitalism is a profoundly science-ejected concept, though many CAM or ‘natural health’ cabals falsely claim that vitalism survives scientific scrutiny.I quote:”vitalism is now a dead philosophy […] for the vitalist, living things are possessed (literally) by a ‘life force,’ utterly distinct from the physiochemical forces so far discovered […this is] impossible to investigate: how do you investigate a life force? [p.057].”-r.c.

⭐Excellent and exceptionally readable book which has definitely broadened my mind.

⭐Perfect for me.

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