Abstract

Philosophical reflection on biological phenomena and knowledge has a long history. Indeed, some topics of contemporary interest have a history dating back at least to Aristotle (e.g., teleology, the nature of laws, classification (taxonomy), and the nature and logic of explanation and causality). The modern period of philosophy of biology, however, was ushered in by Morton Beckner with the publication of his landmark book The Biological Way of Thought. In it, Beckner employs the analytic tools and methods of contemporary logic, epistemology, and metaphysics to examine many of the issues outlined above.