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Interaction and Evolution

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What the Philosophy of Biology Is

Part of the book series: Nijhoff International Philosophy Series ((NIPS,volume 32))

Abstract

When I first returned to the United States in 1965, the most articulate philosophers working on biological topics were William Wimsatt and David Hull. Since then, thanks partly to their efforts, philosophy of biology has become a vast and growing field. Ignoring here Hull’s undoubted contributions to the history of Darwinism, notably his Darwin and His Critics (Hull 1973), I want to concentrate on what I consider his most significant contribution to evolutionary theory: the distinction between replicators and interactors (Hull 1980, 1981). About philosophy of science, and perhaps philosophy as such, he and I could hardly disagree more, and some of my problems will be reflected even in my attempt to discuss this, as I believe, his most original and important argument

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Grene, M. (1989). Interaction and Evolution. In: Ruse, M. (eds) What the Philosophy of Biology Is. Nijhoff International Philosophy Series, vol 32. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1169-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1169-7_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7020-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1169-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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