John S. Wilkins 
Species [PDF ebook] 
A History of the Idea

The complex idea of ‘species’ has evolved over time, yet its meaning is far from resolved. This comprehensive work takes a fresh look at an idea central to the field of biology by tracing its history from antiquity to today. John S. Wilkins explores the essentialist view, a staple of logic from Plato and Aristotle through the Middle Ages to fairly recent times, and considers the idea of species in natural history—a concept often connected to reproduction. Tracing ‘generative conceptions’ of species back through Darwin to Epicurus, Wilkins provides a new perspective on the relationship between philosophical and biological approaches to this concept. He also reviews the array of current definitions.
Species is a benchmark exploration and clarification of a concept fundamental to the past, present, and future of the natural sciences.

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Preface vii

Acknowledgments xiii


Prologue 1


The Classical Era: Science by Division 9


The Medieval Bridge 35


Species and the Birth of Modern Science 47


The Early Nineteenth Century: A Period of Change 97


Darwin and the Darwinians 129


The Species Problem Arises 165


The Synthesis and Species 181


Modern Debates 197


Reproductive Isolation Concepts 197


Evolutionary Species Concepts 201


Phylogenetic Species Concepts 205


Other Species Concepts 216


Historical Summary and Conclusions 227


Notes 235

References 251

Index 289

About the Author

Mengenai Pengarang

John S. Wilkins is Research Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He is the author of Defining Species: A Sourcebook from Antiquity to Today.