-
879Struggling with the science of ecologyBiology and Philosophy 21 (3): 395-409. 2006.Greg Cooper’s The Science of the Struggle for Existence is a must read for those interested in the history and philosophy of ecology and in topics like laws of nature, scientific explanation, and mathematical modeling. If you want to explore some of the metaphysical and methodological challenges that face ecology, there is no better place to go. Thus, this book marks an important moment in the philosophy of ecology. Folks like myself will be responding to it for quite a while. What I find most a…Read more
-
18Philosophical themes in the work of Robert H. MacarthurIn Kevin deLaplante, Bryson Brown & Kent A. Peacock (eds.), Philosophy of ecology, North-holland. pp. 11--109. 2011.
-
881I. Introduction. Philosophical discussions of models and modeling in the biological sciences have exploded in the last few decades. Given that there are three-dimensional models of DNA in molecular genetics, individual-based computer simulations in population ecology, statistical models in paleontology, diffusion models in population genetics, and remnant models in taxonomy, we clearly should have a philosophical account of such models and their relation to the world. In this essay, I provide a …Read more
-
23Complex systems, trade-offs and mathematical modeling: a response to Sober and OrzackPhilosophy of Science 70 (5): 1496-1507. 2003.Ecologist Richard Levins argues population biologists must trade-off the generality, realism, and precision of their models since biological systems are complex and our limitations are severe. Steven Orzack and Elliott Sober argue that there are cases where these model properties cannot be varied independently of one another. If this is correct, then Levins's thesis that there is a necessary trade-off between generality, precision, and realism in mathematical models in biology is false. I argue …Read more
-
892The strategy of “the strategy of model building in population biology”Biology and Philosophy 21 (5): 607-621. 2006.In this essay, I argue for four related claims. First, Richard Levins’ classic “The Strategy of Model Building in Population Biology” was a statement and defense of theoretical population biology growing out of collaborations between Robert MacArthur, Richard Lewontin, E. O. Wilson, and others. Second, I argue that the essay served as a response to the rise of systems ecology especially as pioneered by Kenneth Watt. Third, the arguments offered by Levins against systems ecology and in favor of h…Read more
-
1442Abstract. In this essay I first provide an analysis of various community concepts. Second, I evaluate the two of the most serious challenges to the existence of communities – gradient and paleoecological analysis respectively – arguing that properly understood neither threatens the existence of communities construed interactively. Finally, I apply the same interactive approach to ecosystem ecology arguing that ecosystems may exist robustly as well.
-
Pessimism about Ecosystem Ecology: A Reply to SagoffInquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy. forthcoming.
-
43In this essay, I begin with an overview of a traditional account of natural kinds, and then consider David Hull's critique of species as natural kinds and the associated notion of human nature. Second, I explore recent "liberal" accounts of human nature provided by Edouard Machery and Grant Ramsey and criticized by Tim Lewens. They attempt to avoid the criticisms of- fered by Hull. After examining those views, I turn to Richard Boyd's Homeostatic Property Cluster account of natural kinds which i…Read more
-
1041Philosophers of the life sciences have devoted considerably more attention to evolutionary theory and genetics than to the various sub-disciplines of ecology, but recent work in the philosophy of ecology suggests reflects a growing interest in this area (Cooper 2003; Ginzburg and Colyvan 2004). However, philosophers of biology and ecology have focused almost entirely on conceptual and methodological issues in population and community ecology; conspicuously absent are foundational investigations …Read more
-
1285Sahotra Sarkar’s Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy is a welcome addition to the fields of environmental philosophy and the philosophy of science. First, his book has a rigorous and careful discussion of why we should preserve biodiversity. This is all the more important since much of environmental ethics has rested on normative claims which are unclear in meaning, appear unjustified at best and unjustifiable at worst, and are politically ineffective. Second, Sarkar is at home in the scie…Read more
-
73This American LifeEthics, Policy and Environment 14 (1): 27-29. 2011.Given the complexity of John Nolt's overall argument, I summarise it at the outset. First, focusing on the mean emissions of the United States, ignoring the ‘porousness’ of nations, an...
-
75In this essay, I critically evaluate components of Michael Weisberg’s approach to models and modeling in his book Simulation and Similarity. First, I criticize his account of the ontology of models and mathematics. Second, I respond to his objections to fictionalism regarding models arguing that they fail. Third, I sketch a deflationary approach to models that retains many elements of his account but avoids the inflationary commitments
-
1329Models in biologyRoutledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2009.In recent years, there has much attention given by philosophers to the ubiquitous role of models and modeling in the biological sciences. Philosophical debates has focused on several areas of discussion. First, what are models in the biological sciences? The term ‘model’ is applied to mathematical structures, graphical displays, computer simulations, and even concrete organisms. Is there an account which unifies these disparate structures? Second, scientists routinely distinguish between theorie…Read more
-
1194Ecology and the inescapability of valuesScience and Engineering Ethics 14 (4): 593-596. 2008.Science and Engineering Ethics, to appear.
-
1412In 1974, John Maynard Smith wrote in his little book Models in Ecology, A theory of ecology must make statements about ecosystems as a whole, as well as about particular species at particular times, and it must make statements that are true for many species and not just for one… For the discovery of general ideas in ecology, therefore, different kinds of mathematical description, which may be called models, are called for. Whereas a good simulation should include as much detail as possible, a go…Read more
-
134Seeing the forest and the trees: Realism about communities and ecosystemsPhilosophy of Science 74 (5): 628-641. 2007.In this essay I first provide an analysis of various community concepts. Second, I evaluate two of the most serious challenges to the existence of communities—gradient and paleoecological analysis respectively—arguing that, properly understood, neither threatens the existence of communities construed interactively. Finally, I apply the same interactive approach to ecosystem ecology, arguing that ecosystems may exist robustly as well. ‡I would like to thank to the participants at the Ecology and …Read more
-
351Philosophy of the Special Sciences, edited by Fritz Allhof, Blackwell Press.
-
1003Idealized, inaccurate but successful: A pragmatic approach to evaluating models in theoretical ecology (review)Biology and Philosophy 20 (2-3): 231-255. 2005.Ecologists attempt to understand the diversity of life with mathematical models. Often, mathematical models contain simplifying idealizations designed to cope with the blooming, buzzing confusion of the natural world. This strategy frequently issues in models whose predictions are inaccurate. Critics of theoretical ecology argue that only predictively accurate models are successful and contribute to the applied work of conservation biologists. Hence, they think that much of the mathematical work…Read more
-
14Book ReviewJohn Dupré, Human Nature and the Limits of Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press , x + 201 pp., $26.00 (review)Philosophy of Science 70 (4): 849-851. 2003.
-
20Sahotra Sarkar, Environmental Philosophy: From Theory to Practice. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell , xii+226 pp., $96.95 (review)Philosophy of Science 81 (2): 292-296. 2014.
-
185Nothing in ethics makes sense except in the light of evolution? Natural goodness, normativity, and naturalismSynthese 194 (4): 1031-1055. 2017.Foot , Hursthouse , and Thompson , along with other philosophers, have argued for a metaethical position, the natural goodness approach, that claims moral judgments are, or are on a par with, teleological claims made in the biological sciences. Specifically, an organism’s flourishing is characterized by how well they function as specified by the species to which they belong. In this essay, I first sketch the Neo-Aristotelian natural goodness approach. Second, I argue that critics who claim that …Read more
-
45Environmental philosophy 2.0: Ethics and conservation biology for the 21st centuryStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 45 (1): 92-96. 2014.In this essay, I critically engage Sahotra Sarkar’s Environmental Philosophy. The several topics include the conceptual foundations of conservation biology and traditional philosophy of science, naturalism and its implications, and ethical theory and specifically the status of human welfare
-
733Values, Advocacy and Conservation BiologyEnvironmental Values 12 (1). 2003.In this essay, I examine the controversy concerning the advocacy of ethical values in conservation biology. First, I argue, as others have, that conservation biology is a science laden with values both ethical and non-ethical. Second, after clarifying the notion of advocacy at work, I contend that conservation biologists should advocate the preservation of biological diversity. Third, I explore what ethical grounds should be used for advocating the preservation of ecological systems by conservat…Read more
-
800Philosophy of BiologyIn Fritz Allhoff (ed.), Philosophies of the Sciences, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010-01-04.This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction What Are the Biological Sciences (Not)? Systematics Ecology and Evolution Levels of Selection Conclusion References.
-
62Subsistence versus Sustainable Emissions? Equity and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Philosophy 7 (1): 1-15. 2010.In this essay, I first consider what the implications of global climate change will be regarding issues of equity. Secondly, I consider two types of proposals which focus on sustainable emissions and subsistence rights respectively. Thirdly, I consider where these proposal types conflict. Lastly, I argue under plausible assumptions, these two proposals actually imply similar policies regarding global climate change.
-
1147Philosophy of the environmental sciencesIn P. D. Magnus & Jacob Busch (eds.), New waves in philosophy of science, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 155--171. 2009.In this essay, I consider three philosophical issues that arise in the environmental sciences. First, these sciences depend on mathematical models and simulations which are highly idealized and are coupled with very uncertain data. Why should we trust these models and simulations? Second, in standard hypothesis testing, the burden of proof is in favor of the null hypothesis which claims some causal factor has no effect. The alternative hypothesis is accepted only when the likelihood of the null …Read more
-
23John Dupré: Human Nature and the Limits of Science (review)Philosophy of Science 70 (4): 849-851. 2003.
-
699Complex systems, trade‐offs, and theoretical population biology: Richard Levin's “strategy of model building in population biology” revisitedPhilosophy of Science 70 (5): 1496-1507. 2003.Ecologist Richard Levins argues population biologists must trade‐off the generality, realism, and precision of their models since biological systems are complex and our limitations are severe. Steven Orzack and Elliott Sober argue that there are cases where these model properties cannot be varied independently of one another. If this is correct, then Levins's thesis that there is a necessary trade‐off between generality, precision, and realism in mathematical models in biology is false. I argue …Read more
Portland, Oregon, United States of America