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.
Cuprins
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
Despre autor
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.
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