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Evidence and Evolution Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Evidence and Evolution By Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Evidence and Evolution by Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)


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Summary

How should the concept of evidence be understood? And how does it apply to the controversy surrounding creationism, natural selection and common ancestry? Elliott Sober investigates general questions about probability and evidence and shows how the answers he develops to those questions apply to the specifics of evolutionary biology.

Evidence and Evolution Summary

Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science by Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

How should the concept of evidence be understood? And how does the concept of evidence apply to the controversy about creationism as well as to work in evolutionary biology about natural selection and common ancestry? In this rich and wide-ranging book, Elliott Sober investigates general questions about probability and evidence and shows how the answers he develops to those questions apply to the specifics of evolutionary biology. Drawing on a set of fascinating examples, he analyzes whether claims about intelligent design are untestable; whether they are discredited by the fact that many adaptations are imperfect; how evidence bears on whether present species trace back to common ancestors; how hypotheses about natural selection can be tested, and many other issues. His book will interest all readers who want to understand philosophical questions about evidence and evolution, as they arise both in Darwin's work and in contemporary biological research.

Evidence and Evolution Reviews

'Elliott Sober, a philosopher of science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has long been a leader in this school [epistemology and ethics], and his latest work, Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science, shows why he commands our attention. He is interested in the question of evidence for theories, and he shows through a careful analysis of statistical thinking (particularly Bayesian thinking) how one can make informed decisions about claims made in biology.' Michael Ruse, American Scientist
'If one is interested in the logical foundation of evolutionary reasoning, this book need to be read.' www.roterdorn.de
'... stimulating material for a graduate seminar, especially if aimed at an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty. ... There is much good food for thought here, and the book is well worth the investment of time and neural firings that it requires to get to the end of it.' Trends in Ecology and Evolution
'For anyone who is interested in increasing one's understanding of evidence and how it bears on evolutionary theory, Sober's book is the best place to begin. In fact, it is the best place to end as well. The likelihood that anyone else will be able to do a better job is slim to non-existent.' David Hull, Biosciences
'... one of the most - if not the most - in depth analyses of the relationship between statistical reasoning and evidence in evolutionary biology. Indeed, the book should be read by everyone with a serious interest in evolutionary biology, in the philosophy of biology and in scientific inference more generally. ... Sober has written a remarkable and remarkably important book.' History of Philosophy of Life Sciences

About Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Elliott Sober is Hans Reichenbach Professor of Philosophy and William F. Vilas Research Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison where he has taught since 1974. His research is in philosophy of science, especially in the philosophy of evolutionary biology. Sober's books include The Nature of Selection - Evolutionary Theory in Philosophical Focus (1984), Reconstructing the Past - Parsimony, Evolution, and Inference (1988), Philosophy of Biology (1993), From a Biological Point of View - Essays in Evolutionary Philosophy (1994), and Unto Others - The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior (1998), coauthored with David Sloan Wilson.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Evidence; 2. Intelligent design; 3. Natural selection; 4. Common ancestry; Conclusion; References; Index.

Additional information

NLS9780521692748
9780521692748
0521692741
Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science by Elliott Sober (Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison)
New
Paperback
Cambridge University Press
2008-03-27
412
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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Customer Reviews - Evidence and Evolution