The essays in this collection examine developments in three fundamental biological disciplines--embryology, evolutionary biology, and genetics--in conflict with each other for much of the twentieth century. They consider key methodological problems and the difficulty of overcoming them. Richard Burian interweaves historical appreciation of the settings within which scientists work, substantial knowledge of the biological problems at stake and the methodological and philosophical issues faced in integrating biological knowledge drawn from disparate sources.
Author(s): Richard Burian
Series: Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 288
Cover......Page 1
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Preface......Page 13
1 General Introduction......Page 17
2 How the Choice of Experimental Organism Matters......Page 27
framework......Page 29
A. Traits and Suitability......Page 30
B. The Complexity of Suitability......Page 32
C. Conservative versus Risky Strategies in Choosing Organisms......Page 34
2. transforming the job......Page 36
3. the breadth of the biological knowledge context......Page 39
3 Unification and Coherence as Methodological Objectives in the Biological Sciences......Page 45
introduction......Page 46
a framework for discussion......Page 47
a brief case study......Page 49
Prior Limitations on Knowledge of Gene--Enzyme Correlations......Page 51
Grounds for Supposing that Genes Are Proteins and that Enzyme Synthesis Involves Conformal Change of Precursors......Page 53
a preliminary model......Page 55
Early Formulations of the One-Gene-One-Enzyme Hypothesis......Page 56
normative methodology......Page 58
conclusion......Page 63
4 “Adaptation”......Page 70
adaptation and adaptedness......Page 71
darwin on adaptation......Page 73
concepts of adaptation in neo-darwinism......Page 80
‘‘fitness,” ‘‘adaptation,” and recent evolutionary controversy......Page 88
5 The Influence of the Evolutionary Paradigm......Page 97
about paradigms......Page 98
some historical notes......Page 100
the evolutionary synthesis......Page 104
the synthetic theory as a theory of history......Page 107
pluralism......Page 111
morals for theorists at the crossroads......Page 113
6 “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution” (Theodosius Dobzhansky)......Page 119
evolutionary theory in biology and evolutionary biology in the united states......Page 120
dobzhansky's article......Page 126
more on the relations among biological disciplines......Page 128
molecular biology and evolution......Page 130
conclusion......Page 132
7 On Conceptual Change in Biology......Page 142
continuity and discontinuity in scientific theories......Page 143
the gene: development of a concept......Page 147
theories of reference and the gene......Page 151
referring to genes......Page 153
concluding remarks......Page 156
introduction......Page 161
differentiation: protein synthesis in procaryotes as a model......Page 165
genetics, biochemistry, and protein synthesis: e. coli versus tissue slices and cell-free systems......Page 169
theory, experiment, and exchange across boundaries: some comments on cracking the genetic code......Page 173
more about choice of technique and experimental system......Page 175
task definition......Page 176
conclusion......Page 177
9 Too Many Kinds of Genes?......Page 182
schematic gene concepts......Page 183
discontinuous gene concepts......Page 186
continuities in the genetic material......Page 188
postscript 2003......Page 192
the paradox......Page 199
stage setting......Page 201
the issues......Page 202
separation......Page 206
how seriously should we take the paradox?......Page 208
steps toward a resolution......Page 212
appendix for chapter 10: additional and expanded quotations......Page 216
11 On Conflicts between Genetic and Developmental Viewpoints – and Their Attempted Resolution in Molecular Biology......Page 226
some recent findings in molecular developmental genetics......Page 229
conflicting interpretations......Page 239
homology......Page 242
explanatory apparatus......Page 244
12 Reconceiving Animals and Their Evolution......Page 250
introduction......Page 251
some basic biological surprises regarding the regulation of development......Page 252
on building an organism by tinkering......Page 259
philosophical coda......Page 272
Index......Page 279
