Abstract
Both epistemological (on what basis can we claim to know) and ontological (what is the fundamental nature of being) conflicts between biology and the social sciences are manifest in at least three major areas of concern; they are: 1) the problem of causation, 2) the problem of human nature (with specific reference to concepts of ‘;pre-knowledge’) and 3) the problem of classification (deciding upon scientific significance and unity). Each will be considered in turn.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vannelli, R. (2001). Biology and the Social Sciences: Epistemological and Ontological Issues. In: Evolutionary Theory and Human Nature. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1545-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1545-6_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5607-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1545-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive