Edited Books
K. Kampourakis, T. Uller (Eds.) (2020) Philosophy of Science for Biologists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Philosophy of Science for Biologists has been translated into Japanese.
Read a short essay related to the book on the CUP blog
“WHEN TOBIAS (RIGHT), KOSTAS (LEFT) AND
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE FOR BIOLOGISTS
GOT ALL TOGETHER IN KARLSTAD, SWEDEN
(PHOTO BY NIKLAS GERICKE)”
Read also excerpts from book reviews:
- by Sophie Juliane Veigl in Acta Biotheoretica : “… Philosophy of Science for Biologists … offers a collection of essays written by philosophy inclined scientists and science-minded philosophers who foster close connections to practicing scientists. … The volume is not only a collection of several articles that can be read separately as introductory readings to a particular topic, there is also merit in reading this volume front to back. The contents are arranged carefully and communicate with each other by directly referencing other works in the volume and by implicitly establishing continuity across the chapters. … In conclusion, the chapters in Philosophy of Science for Biologists and the collection as a whole will come in handy for everyone looking for well-written, accessible introductions to some of the most exciting topics in the philosophy of biology.”
- by Peter Woodford in Metascience: “the editors assembled a “dream-team” of experts in philosophy of biology to write accessible overviews of their specialized research topics that can be read in one sitting and can be used as assigned readings to facilitate discussion… Since each essay has a narrow focus on a particular problem, the volume manages to strike an impressive balance between breadth and depth… The essays are clear and accessible, and yet, admirably, they do not sacrifice philosophical precision and rigor. As a result, many of the essays turn out to be engaging overviews for philosophers and non-philosophers alike. The volume also knows its audience… the essays are written to preempt typical “triggers” that lead scientists to disregard philosophy, such as that philosophical thinking is “too abstract,” or that it is merely for idle hours… Having a resource like this is incredibly useful for initiating engagement across philosophy and biology…”
- by Z. B. Johnson in Choice “… authors, make their case for the utility of the philosophy of science to the diverse community of students, teachers, and researchers pursuing careers in biology. The perspective is invigorating, offering insights to help biologists refine their thinking, even in fields with which they are most knowledgeable, and in particular to enhance how they might communicate science more effectively to a broader audience. This work celebrates the achievements, significance, and the potential of the biological sciences and is well worth reading.”
- by Guido Pietro in the Journal for General Philosophy of Science: ” This collection of essays features a healthy mixture of philosophers, historians, and biologists who have made a palpable effort to provide rich and updated presentations of a wide range of important topics … Crucially, each topic is illustrated and exemplified with real biological cases or historical events, which impress with their breadth and amount…. Philosophy of Science for Biologists delivers on its promise of presenting a highly readable, up-to-date overview of contemporary philosophy of science for biologists. Moreover, some of its chapters offer good contextualized case studies that could also be used for teaching philosophy of biology to philosophers. I anticipate that the many questions the book motivates will give rise to lively discussions in the classroom and trigger philosophical reflections in the minds of its readers. I also hope the book will help biologists realize that philosophy of science is relevant for them, and makes their science all the more interesting.”
- by Aaron Novick in The Quarterly Review of Biology: “This edited volume presents themes from the philosophy of science in a manner tailored to the needs of biologists and biology students … The book thus tacitly embodies a particular vision of the value of philosophy of science for biologists: philosophy of science has usable knowledge and techniques, and biologists will do their work better if familiarised with that knowledge and those techniques. … Given this vision, the book is a success. The chapters are informative and clearly written, and biology students can learn much from them.
- by Tina Heger in Basic and Applied Ecology: “Most of the chapters use a clear language, and the authors paid attention to not using too much philosophy jargon. Essential philosophical terms and concepts are carefully explained … I can strongly recommend this book to PhD students as well as senior scientists, working in all branches of ecology. It nicely demonstrates that philosophers of science today usually do not regard themselves as ‘guardians over good scientific practice’, ready to set rules on how scientists should do their job. Rather, the main interest is in understanding how scientific practice works. The chapters thus provide a great ‘view from the outside’, oftentimes encouraging rather than criticizing current practices. Even though this volume is about biology, and most examples given are taken from evolutionary biology, it still offers inspiring insights into hot topics of philosophy of science with high relevance also for ecologists. And the presumably most convincing advantage of it being an edited volume is that you could start with any one chapter that seems interesting then, most likely, you will want to read more.”
- by Frank Zachos in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences: ” … Philosophy of Science for Biologists does a very good job at showing the relevance of philosophy in the life sciences … Overall, the book will be interesting and relevant reading for biologists, but also philosophers with a serious interest in biology. Perhaps most of all, together with one of the available introductory monographs on the philosophy of biology, it can be a good primer for students. In line with that, in the last chapter, the editors express their hope that the volume will be used for teaching, and they give a number of practical suggestions on how to do that. … philosophy of science is certainly a discipline in its own right, but a useful one for scientists, especially if and when philosophy of science is also philosophy for science. I think that, for biology, Kampourakis, Uller, and the contributors to this volume have achieved exactly that.”
Endorsements:
“As a philosopher and a biologist I have been waiting for a long tome for a book like this to come out. My students will learn a lot from it.”
Massimo Pigliucci, K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, The City College of New York
“Philosophy of Science for Biologists is a much awaited book written for biologists, mainly for curious and open-minded biology students. Presenting a broad spectrum of perspectives and many fascinating examples from all areas of biology, the fifteen essays in this book offer a broad and exciting vista of biological ideas, their scope, their ambitions and their potential prejudices. The essays illustrate how a multiplicity of perspectives and methodologies can be combined to answer difficult questions, encouraging cooperation, healthy skepticism and necessary optimism. It should be the basis of an obligatory course for all biology students.”
Eva Jablonka, Professor, Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University
“Historically, few biologists have recognized the valuable contributions that philosophy could make to their field. Finally, that is starting to change. In this landmark collection of essays from leading thinkers, Kampourakis and Uller provide the clearest summary yet of the philosophy that biologists really need to know if they want to be outstanding scientists who see the bigger picture.”
Kevin N Laland, Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology, University of St Andrews, U.K.
“Biologists do not simply uncover knowledge about the natural world, they build it, using concepts and classification schemes to frame their observations and experimental tests, and sifting the results so as to explain certain aspects of that enormously complex world. In this unusual volume, Uller and Kampourakis– a leading evolutionary biologist, and an accomplished critic of science and science education– call on biologists to carefully examine not just what they think, but how they think, by directly engaging with the philosophical issues that are imbedded in their scientific practice. The book will be of unique value to working biologists who seek to clarify their scientific aims and sharpen their concepts, research approaches, and analytical tools.”
Sonia E. Sultan, Biology Department, Wesleyan University