Sahotra Sarkar is Professor of Integrative Biology, Geography and the Environment, and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Genetics and Reductionism: A Primer (1998), Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy (2005), Molecular Models of Life (2005), Doubting Darwin? Creationist Designs on Evolution (2007); co-author of Systematic Conservation Planning (2007); editor of several books, including The Philosophy and History of Molecular Biology (1996), the six-volume Science and Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: Basic Works of Logical Empiricism (1996), and the two-volume The Philosophy of Science: An Encyclopedia (2006).

Anya Plutynski is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. She specializes in the history and philosophy of science.

Comprised of essays by top scholars in the field, this volume offers detailed overviews of philosophical issues raised by biology.
* Brings together a team of eminent scholars to explore the philosophical issues raised by biology
* Addresses traditional and emerging topics, spanning molecular biology and genetics, evolution, developmental biology, immunology, ecology, mind and behaviour, neuroscience, and experimentation
* Begins with a thorough introduction to the field
* Goes beyond previous treatments that focused only on evolution to give equal attention to other areas, such as molecular and developmental biology
* Represents both an authoritative guide to philosophy of biology, and an accessible reference work for anyone seeking to learn about this rapidly-changing field

List of Figures.
List of Tables.
Notes on Contributors.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction (Sahotra Sarkar and Anya Plutynski).
Part I Molecular Biology and Genetics.
1 Gene Concepts (Hans-Jörg Rheinberger and Staffan Müller-Wille).
2 Biological Information (Stefan Artmann).
3 Heredity and Heritability (Richard C. Lewontin).
4 Genomics, Proteomics, and Beyond (Sahotra Sarkar).
Part II Evolution.
5 Darwinism and Neo-Darwinism (James G. Lennox).
6 Systematics and Taxonomy (Marc Ereshefsky).
7 Population Genetics (Christopher Stephens).
8 The Units and Levels of Selection (Samir Okasha).
9 Molecular Evolution (Michael R. Dietrich).
10 Speciation and Macroevolution (Anya Plutynski).
11 Adaptationism (Peter Godfrey-Smith and Jon F. Wilkins).
Part III Developmental Biology.
12 Phenotypic Plasticity and Reaction Norms (Jonathan M. Kaplan).
13 Explaining the Ontogeny of Form: Philosophical Issues (Alan C. Love).
14 Development and Evolution (Ron Amundson).
Part IV Medicine.
15 Self and Nonself (Moira Howes).
16 Health and Disease (Dominic Murphy).
Part V Ecology.
17 Population Ecology (Mark Colyvan).
18 Complexity, Diversity, and Stability (James Justus).
19 Ecosystems (Kent A. Peacock).
20 Biodiversity: Its Meaning and Value (Bryan G. Norton).
Part VI Mind and Behavior.
21 Ethology, Sociobiology, and Evolutionary Psychology (Paul E. Griffiths).
22 Cooperation (J. McKenzie Alexander).
23 Language and Evolution (Derek Bickerton).
Part VII Experimentation, Theory, and Themes.
24 What is Life? (Mark A. Bedau).
25 Experimentation (Marcel Weber).
26 Laws and Theories (Marc Lange).
27 Models (Jay Odenbaugh).
28 Function and Teleology (Justin Garson).
29 Reductionism in Biology (Alexander Rosenberg).
Index.