This course is not currently offered, please contact the school or faculty of your program.

Course description

This course looks at some of the philosophical issues arising out of the study of the life sciences-primarily biology & ecology. These issues include problems associated with the theory of evolution such as: (i) recent philosophical debate on the unit of selection; (ii) How is it possible for altruism to evolve? (iii) the role of Simpson's paradox in accounting for such apparently maladaptive traits?; (iv) how applicable are evolutionary explanations to sociology and epistemology. The course will also look at various philosophical issues in ecology such as the problem of classifying endangered species according to their risk of extinction, & the quantification of uncertainty that's appropriate for various management decisions. The unit should be of interest to students of philosophy & students of biology. This course may not run if there are fewer than 20 enrolments.