Thinking About Biology

Thinking About Biology Thinking About Biology is intended for biology students who are interested in reflecting on the wider contexts of their studies. The book encourages students to see that biology does not deliver certainties; it discusses how biological ideas become established facts; and it uses history to examine how ideas change and to show that the biological facts that form the basis of a biology course are also likely to change. Each chapter is based on biological topics, and examines them for their philosophical, social and political implications. Topics covered include the role of natural selection in evolution, the history of ideas about fertilisation and inheritance, vivisection and reductionism. Genetically modified foods, xenotransplantation, eugenics and genetic testing are some of the controversial subjects discussed. Thinking About Biology should be essential reading for all college students already taking a course in the biological sciences, and for those contemplating such a course in the future. stephen webster is a lecturer in the Science Communication Group at Imperial College London, where he teaches the philosophy of science and research ethics. He is the author of three radio plays and several school biology textbooks. His current research project at Imperial College examines collaborative ventures between scientists and artists. Thinking About Biology Stephen Webster Science Communication Group Imperial College London    Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge  , United Kingdom Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521590594 © Stephen Webster 2003 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2003 - - ---- eBook (NetLibrary) --- eBook (NetLibrary) - - ---- hardback --- hardback - - ---- paperback --- paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. For Giovanna, Lorenzo and Luca Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 Facts? 5 The problem with cannabis 5 The making of the cell theory 9 The edge of the amoeba 19 How cells evolved 24 The philosophy of science 31 2 Reductionism 38 An introduction 38 Examples of reductionist research 42 The two faces of reductionism 44 The general problem of scientific explanation 47 Explanation through causation 50 Metaphysics and biology 52 A review of terminology 54 Anti-reductionist biology today 58 A case study: phenylketonuria (PKU) 61 In conclusion: the problem of determinism 64 3 Evolution 67 A philosophical introduction 67 The work of Charles Darwin 69 The question of time 73 The case of Jacques D