This Element develops a view about biological individuality's value in two ways: while biological individuality matters for its theoretical and methodological roles in the production of scientific knowledge, its historical use in promoting the politics of social ideologies concerning progress and perfection of humanity's evolutionary future must not be ignored. Recent trends in biological individuality are analyzed and set against the history of evolutionary thought drawing from the early twentieth century. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Introduction: The Purpose of this Element; 1. An Ontic Landscape; 2. Critics & Methodology; 3. In Historical Context; Closing Remarks; Appendix: Individuality Puzzles; Glossary; References.