Evolution, Explanation, Ethics and Aesthetics: Towards a Philosophy of Biology focuses on the dominant biological topic of evolution. It deals with the prevailing philosophical themes of how to explain the adaptation of organisms, the interplay of chance and necessity, and the recurrent topics of emergence, reductionism, and progress. In addition, the extensively treated topic of how to explain human nature as a result of natural processes and the encompassed issues of the foundations of morality and the brain-to-mind transformation is discussed. The philosophy of biology is a rapidly expanding field, not more than half a century old at most, and to a large extent is replacing the interest in the philosophy of physics that prevailed in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. Few texts available have the benefit of being written by an eminent biologist who happens to be also a philosopher, as in this work. This book is a useful resource for seminar courses and college courses on the philosophy of biology. Researchers, academics, and students in evolutionary biology, behavior, genetics, and biodiversity will also be interested in this work, as will those in human biology and issues such as ethics, religion, and the human mind, along with professional philosophers of science and those concerned with such issues as whether evolution is compatible with religion and/or where morality comes from.

Evolution, Explanation, Ethics and Aesthetics: Towards a Philosophy of Biology

Science & Math

AYALA, Francisco J.

Biological Sciences

Academic Press

Human Evolution provides a comprehensive overview of hominid evolution, synthesising data and approaches from fields as diverse as physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, genetics, archaeology, psychology and philosophy. The book starts with chapters on evolution, population genetics, systematics, and the methods for constructing evolutionary trees. These are followed by a comprehensive review of the fossil history of human evolution since our divergence from the apes. Subsequent chapters cover more recent data, both fossil and molecular, relating to the evolution of modern humans. A final section describes the evolution of culture, language, art, and morality. The authors are leading experts in two complementary fields of scholarship, physical anthropology and molecular evolution. Throughout the book they successfully integrate their expertise in evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, genomics, cultural evolution, language, aesthetics and morality to produce a cutting edge textbook, copiously illustrated and with an extensive and up-to-date bibliography. It will be suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate level students taking courses on human evolution within departments of biology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy. The book will also appeal to a more general audience seeking a readable, up-to-date and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

Human Evolution: Trails from the Past

Cela-Conde, Camilo J.

Oxford University Press

Human Evolution provides a comprehensive overview of hominid evolution, synthesizing data and approaches from fields as diverse as physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, genetics, archaeology, psychology, and philosophy. The book begins with chapters on evolution, population genetics, systematics, and the methods for constructing evolutionary trees. These are followed by a comprehensive review of the fossil history of human evolution since our divergence from the apes. Subsequent chapters cover more recent data, both fossil and molecular, relating to the evolution of modern humans. A final section describes the evolution of culture, language, art, and morality. The authors are leading experts in two complementary fields of scholarship: physical anthropology and molecular evolution. Throughout the book they successfully integrate their expertise in evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, genomics, cultural evolution, language, aesthetics, and morality to produce a cutting edge textbook, copiously illustrated and with an extensive and up-to-date bibliography. The text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate level students taking courses on human evolution within departments of biology, anthropology, psychology, and philosophy. The book may also be of interest to a more general audience seeking a readable, up-to-date, and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

The discoveries of the last decade have brought about a completely revised understanding of human evolution due to the recent advances in genetics, palaeontology, ecology, archaeology, geography, and climate science. Written by two leading authorities in the fields of physical anthropology and molecular evolution, Processes in Human Evolution presents a reconsidered overview of hominid evolution, synthesising data and approaches from a range of inter-disciplinary fields. The authors pay particular attention to population migrations - since these are crucial in understanding the origin and dispersion of the different genera and species in each continent - and to the emergence of the lithic cultures and their impact on the evolution of cognitive capacities. Processes in Human Evolution is intended as a primary textbook for university courses on human evolution, and may also be used as supplementary reading in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. It is also suitable for a more general audience seeking a readable but up-to-date and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

Processes in Human Evolution: The journey from early hominins to Neanderthals and modern humans

With the publication in 1859 of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Charles Darwin established evolution by common descent as the dominant scientific explanation for nature's diversity. This was to be his gift to science and society; at last, we had an explanation for how life came to be on Earth. Scientists agree that the evolutionary origin of animals and plants is a scientific conclusion beyond reasonable doubt. They place it beside such established concepts as the roundness of the earth, its revolution around the sun, and the molecular composition of matter. That evolution has occurred, in other words, is a fact. Yet as we approach the bicentennial celebration of Darwin's birth, the world finds itself divided over the truth of evolutionary theory. Consistently endorsed as "good science" by experts and overwhelmingly accepted as fact by the scientific community, it is not always accepted by the public, and our schools continue to be battlegrounds for this conflict. From the Tennessee trial of a biology teacher who dared to teach Darwin's theory to his students in 1925 to Tammy Kitzmiller's 2005 battle to keep intelligent design out of the Dover district schools in Pennsylvania, it's clear that we need to cut through the propaganda to quell the cacophony of raging debate. With the publication of Darwin's Gift, a voice at once fresh and familiar brings a rational, measured perspective to the science of evolution. An acclaimed evolutionary biologist with a background in theology, Francisco Ayala offers clear explanations of the science, reviews the history that led us to ratify Darwin's theories, and ultimately provides a clear path for a confused and conflicted public. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>1 Introduction</li>
<li>2 Intelligent Design: The Original Version</li>
<li>3 Darwin's Revolution: Design Without Designer</li>
<li>4 Natural Selection</li>
<li>5 Arguing for Evolution</li>
<li>6 Human Evolution</li>
<li>7 Molecular Biology</li>
<li>8 Follies and Fatal Flaws</li>
<li>9 Beyond Biology</li>
<li>10 Postscript for the Cognoscenti</li>
<li>Notes</li>
<li>Acknowledgments</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Joseph Henry Press

Despite the ongoing cultural controversy in America, evolution remains a cornerstone of science. In this book, Francisco J. Ayala―an evolutionary biologist, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and winner of the National Medal of Science and the Templeton Prize―cuts to the chase in a daring attempt to address, in nontechnical language, six perennial questions about evolution:
• Am I a Monkey? • Why Is Evolution a Theory? • What Is DNA? • Do All Scientists Accept Evolution? • How Did Life Begin? • Can One Believe in Evolution and God?
This to-the-point book answers each of these questions with force. Ayala's occasionally biting essays refuse to lend credence to disingenuous ideas and arguments. He lays out the basic science that underlies evolutionary theory, explains how the process works, and soundly makes the case for why evolution is not a threat to religion.
Brief, incisive, topical, authoritative, Am I a Monkey? will take you a day to read and a lifetime to ponder.

Am I a Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Johns Hopkins University Press

Molecular evolution

Sinauer Associates

"Die grossen Fragen" behandeln grundlegende Probleme und Konzepte in Wissenschaft und Philosophie, die Forscher und Denker seit jeher umtreiben. Anspruch der ambitionierten Reihe ist es, die Antworten auf diese Fragen zu prasentieren und damit die wichtigsten Gedanken der Menschheit in einzigartigen Ubersichten zu bundeln. Im vorliegenden Band"Evolution" widmet sich Francisco Ayala 20 bedeutendenFragen zu Ursprung und Entwicklung des Lebens auf der Erde, zur Vielfalt der Organismenund zur Stellung des Menschen. "

Die großen Fragen - Evolution (German Edition)

Springer Spektrum

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by AYALA, Francisco J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by AYALA, Francisco J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by AYALA, Francisco J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Evolution, Explanation, Ethics and Aesthetics: Towards a Philosophy of Biology

Human Evolution: Trails from the Past

Human Evolution: Trails from the Past

Processes in Human Evolution: The journey from early hominins to Neanderthals and modern humans

Processes in Human Evolution: The journey from early hominins to Neanderthals and modern humans

Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion

Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion

Am I a Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

Molecular evolution

Die großen Fragen - Evolution (German Edition)