Book contents
- Philosophy of Science for Biologists
- Philosophy of Science for Biologists
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Why Should Biologists Care about the Philosophy of Science?
- 2 What Constitutes an Explanation in Biology?
- 3 What Is Biological Knowledge?
- 4 What Is the Nature of Theories and Models in Biology?
- 5 How Are Biology Concepts Used and Transformed?
- 6 Why Does It Matter That Many Biology Concepts Are Metaphors?
- 7 How Do Concepts Contribute to Scientific Advancement?
- 8 How Can Conceptual Analysis Contribute to Scientific Practice?
- 9 What Methods Do Life Scientists Use?
- 10 Is It Possible to Scientifically Reconstruct the History of Life on Earth?
- 11 What Is the Basis of Biological Classification?
- 12 What Is the Nature of Scientific Controversies in the Biological Sciences?
- 13 What Is the Relation between Facts and Values in Biological Science?
- 14 A Philosopher in the Age of Creationism
- 15 How Can We Teach Philosophy of Science to Biologists?
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
12 - What Is the Nature of Scientific Controversies in the Biological Sciences?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 September 2020
- Philosophy of Science for Biologists
- Philosophy of Science for Biologists
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Why Should Biologists Care about the Philosophy of Science?
- 2 What Constitutes an Explanation in Biology?
- 3 What Is Biological Knowledge?
- 4 What Is the Nature of Theories and Models in Biology?
- 5 How Are Biology Concepts Used and Transformed?
- 6 Why Does It Matter That Many Biology Concepts Are Metaphors?
- 7 How Do Concepts Contribute to Scientific Advancement?
- 8 How Can Conceptual Analysis Contribute to Scientific Practice?
- 9 What Methods Do Life Scientists Use?
- 10 Is It Possible to Scientifically Reconstruct the History of Life on Earth?
- 11 What Is the Basis of Biological Classification?
- 12 What Is the Nature of Scientific Controversies in the Biological Sciences?
- 13 What Is the Relation between Facts and Values in Biological Science?
- 14 A Philosopher in the Age of Creationism
- 15 How Can We Teach Philosophy of Science to Biologists?
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
Summary
Biological knowledge is not created by individuals in isolation but through a process of review and response within scientific communities. Criticism then is a normal and necessary part of this process. Occasionally, however, lasting disagreements arise during this process that become scientific controversies. In modern biology, some of the most well-known controversies have been relative significance disputes, which are disagreements about the relative importance of features of a biological system. These do not admit all-or-nothing resolutions, but instead often start as strongly stated opposing positions only to find resolution in some middle ground. In this chapter, we consider different views on how biological communities both disagree and resolve those disagreements as part of the social process of knowledge production.
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- Philosophy of Science for Biologists , pp. 235 - 254Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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