(in Polish) Philosophical Problems of Science A 3800-ISP-PPSA-23
The tutorials are devoted to the issues dominating the contemporary philosophy of biology. First, a panorama of themes belonging to the discipline is outlined, and the status of biology as science is entertained. Next, biological definitions of life are discussed, and both the history and the main – philosophically interesting – theses of the theory of evolution are presented. A careful consideration is given to the concepts of gene, species, fitness, and adaptation as well as to the controversy over the units and levels of natural selection. The debate on the alleged tautological character of the claim that only the fittest will survive is scrutinized. Methodological aspects of the Darwinian revolution and the place of teleological language in biology are explored.
The image of human nature that emerges from biological theories and data is considered. Students familiarize themselves with biological explanations which leverage game theory to account for the evolution of altruistic behavior and motives. The results of the analysis are compared to the historical and contemporary philosophical concepts of human nature and social contract. The relevance of biological conclusions and solutions to the problems proper to normative ethics and metaethics is explored. Participants investigate evolutionary explanations of the origin and function of religion, and the views that different religions take on the theory of evolution. Students acquire a basic knowledge of the paradigm of evolutionary psychology and memetics, and of the attempts of the latter to model cultural evolution upon biological evolution.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Students:
- have a basic knowledge of the place and role of biology in relation to other natural sciences, and of its subject and methodological specificity
- know basic biological and philosophical terminology in English
- know and understand major concepts, arguments and trends in contemporary philosophy of biology
- know fundamental research methods and argumentative strategies proper to philosophy of biology
- know interpretation methods appropriate for texts devoted to philosophical problems in biology
Students:
- seek, analyze, evaluate, select, and use information from traditional and electronic sources
- read and interpret philosophical papers discussing biological issues
- understand oral presentations of philosophical ideas and arguments
- correctly use philosophical and biological terminology
- analyze philosophical arguments, identify their crucial assumptions and theses
- quote main theses of the investigated philosophical stances, appropriately to their importance
- select argumentative strategies, formulate – on a basic level – critical arguments, reply to criticism
Students:
- know the scope of their knowledge and skills, acknowledge the need for constant education and professional development
- are open to new ideas and ready to change their minds in light of available data and arguments
- organize their work effectively and critically assess their progress
Assessment criteria
Regular attendance is a necessary condition for receiving credits for the tutorial. The final exam lasts 2 hours and consists of 10 free-response questions. The maximum score for an answer to an exam question is 2.5 points. The final mark for the tutorials is determined on the basis of the total amount of points earned on the exam. The thresholds are the following:
10.00 pts. – 12.50 pts. = satisfactory (3.0)
12.75 – 15.00 = satisfactory plus (3.5)
15.25 – 17.75 = good (4.0)
18.00 – 20.50 = good plus (4.5)
20.75 – 25.00 = very good (5.0)
The mark can be raised by the tutor by one grade maximum in recognition of the student’s engagement, participation, and constructive contribution to the classes. In case of not earning a minimum of 10 points on the exam, the student has the right to take a retake test. The rules of the retake are the same as those of the final exam.
Number of absences: 2
Bibliography
“The Cambridge Companion to Darwin”, Hodge, J., Radick, G. (eds), 2009, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
“The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Biology”, Ruse, M. (ed.), 2010, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Charlesworth, B. & D. (2017).”Evolution. A Very Short Introduction”. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Coyne, J. A. (2009). “Why Evolution Is True”. Ch. 1: “What Is Evolution?”, pp. 1-20. Oxford – New York: Oxford University Press.
Curtis, R. C. (1986). Are Methodologies Theories of Scientific Rationality?. “The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science” 37 (1), pp. 135-161.
Dawkins, R. (2006). “The Selfish Gene”, Ch. 5: “Aggression: stability and the selfish machine”, pp. 66-87. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dennett, D.C. (1995). “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea”. Ch. 3: “Universal Acid”, pp. 61-84. London - New York: Allen Lane – The Penguin Press.
Gould. S. J. (1994). “Evolution as Fact and Theory”. In: Id., “Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes”, pp. 253-262. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Gould. S. J. (2010). “Darwin’s Untimely Burial”. In: A. Rosenberg & R. Arp (eds.), “Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology”, pp. 99-102. Chichester – Malden, MA – Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kitcher, Ph. (2006). “Four Ways of ‘Biologicizing’ Ethics”. In: E. Sober (ed.), “Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology”, pp. 573-586. Cambridge, Mass.-London: Bradford Books, The MIT Press.
Okasha, S. (2019). “Philosophy of Biology. A Very Short Introduction”. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rosenberg, A. & Arp, R. (2010). “General Introduction: A Short History of Philosophy of Biology”. In: A. Rosenberg & R. Arp (eds.), “Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology”, pp. 1-13. Chichester – Malden, MA – Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Ruse, M. (1989). “Darwin’s Debt to Philosophy”. In Id.: “The Darwinian Paradigm”, pp. 9-33. London - New York: Routledge.
Singer, P. (2005). Ethics and Intuitions. “The Journal of Ethics” 9, pp. 331-352.
Trivers R. (1971). The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism. “The Quarterly Review of Biology” 46 (1), pp. 35-57.
Wood, B. (2019). “Human Evolution. A Very Short Introduction”. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: