Comprehensive evaluation and study of man's theories and knowledge of genetical characteristics and the evolutionary processes.

Provides a philosophical analysis of such biological concepts as natural selection, adaptation, speciation, and evolution.

Born in 1838, Mach was a pioneer in the field of physics, having even made an impression on Einstein in his younger life who credited him with being the "Philosophical forerunner of relativity theory." His name is also associated with the speed of sound (as in traveling at Mach "insert-number-here") as well as the Doppler effect. Throughout his career, he was particularly interested in the biological and sensory relationship to physics and science, and naturally, this interest expanded to that of (...) the world of psychological perception and physiological psychology as well as philosophy. The Analysis of Sensations is about just that, the nature of the relationship of physics and the physical sciences to psychological phenomena of sense and perception. It's a fascinating read for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of how the two sides of the same coin meld harmoniously. (shrink)

Provides a thorough overview of historical and contemporary theories of evolution, discusses key concepts and terms, and argues that our understanding of evolution has changed the beliefs and values of modern humankind. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain (...) in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

WE HAVE LEARNED in the preceding chapter that a revolutionary change of the species concept is in the making, a change which not only affects taxonomic procedure, but which also contributes considerably toward a better understanding of ...

This is an important book for students, biologists, and general readers interested in the history of ideas--especially ideas that have radically altered our ...

I analyze a number of widespread misconceptions concerning species. The species category, defined by a concept, denotes the rank of a species taxon in the Linnaean hierarchy. Biological species are reproducing isolated from each other, which protects the integrity of their genotypes. Degree of morphological difference is not an appropriate species definition. Unequal rates of evolution of different characters and lack of information on the mating potential of isolated populations are the major difficulties in the demarcation of species taxa.

Introduction Undoubtedly it would be useful to interpret the "new Nietzsche," as he is often called, within the larger contexts of "Nietzsche and the ...

Complementary and alternative medicine has become an important section of healthcare. Its high level of acceptance among the general population represents a challenge to healthcare professionals of all disciplines and raises a host of ethical issues. This article is an attempt to explore some of the more obvious or practical ethical aspects of complementary and alternative medicine.

"Nicht die Bedingungen der Moglichkeit irgendwelcher Erkenntnisse, nicht die Voraussetzungen des Erkennens, weder die formalen noch die materialen, sondern das Erkennen selbst zu untersuchen ist die Aufgabe dieser Erkenntnistheorie. Dass etwas erkannt wird, d. h. dass in Wahrnehmungen, Erinnerungen, Gedanken, im Zweifeln, Glauben und Wissen Gegenstande erfasst werden, diese Tatsache bildet den Ausgangspunkt der folgenden Betrachtungen. Wie die verschiedenen Arten des Erkennens sich voneinander unterscheiden, aus welchen Elementarprozessen sie sich zusammensetzen und welche Gesetze ihre Entwickelung beherrschen, das sind die Fragen, (...) die von der Psychologie des Erkennens zu beantworten sind." Der Verlag der Wissenschaften verlegt historische Literatur bekannter und unbekannter wissenschaftlicher Autoren. Dem interessierten Leser werden so teilweise langst nicht mehr verlegte Werke wieder zugangig gemacht. Dieses Buch uber die Erkenntnistheorie von Dr. Ernst Durr ist ein unveranderter, hochwertiger Nachdruck der Originalausgabe aus dem Jahr 1910.". (shrink)

Der Band enthält die wichtigsten kleineren philosophischen Arbeiten des Autors aus den Jahren 1960 bis 1990. Sie sind unterteilt in die Rubriken Sein, Wahrheit, Praxis und Kritik. Mit »Sein« und »Wahrheit« sind die wichtigsten Themen von Tugendhats früherer Arbeit genannt, ab ca. 1975 hat er sich weitgehend der praktischen Philosophie zugewandt. Sein Buch »Vorlesungen zur Einführung in die sprachanalytische Philosophie«, 1976 (stw 45), verstand sich als Alternativansatz zu Heideggers Frage nach der Struktur des menschlichen Verstehens. Die »Vorlesungen« orientieren diese Frage (...) an der Sprache, Heidegger hatte sie auf das Sein bezogen. Die hier gesammelten Aufsätze zum Thema »Sein« stützen seine Heidegger gewidmeten »Vorlesungen« negativ ab: sie sollen zeigen, daß das Sein nicht nur ein falscher Orientierungspunkt ist, sondern überhaupt keine einheitliche Thematik darstellt. (shrink)

In this essay Ernst Cassirer addresses two currents of the philosophical reflection about man and culture that emerged at the end of the 18th century. Th e naturalistic one, conceives of man and culture as an outcome of the processes that takes place beyond the reach of human will and consciousness. Among such naturalistically oriented philosophies Cassirer includes Hegel’s idealism, Taine’s positivism and Spengler’s psychologism. All of them imply a characteristic kind of historical fatalism. In opposition to such a (...) deterministic vision of human development stands a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of individual decision and responsibility for the course of history. Cassirer names it “humanistic” as it places man in the very middle of its research. The initiators of this tradition were Johann Gottfried Herder and Wilhelm von Humboldt, foremost representatives of the German romantic movement. The philosopher who took up their humanistic thought and elevated it to the importance of a distinct knowledge was Wilhelm Dilthey. While bearing in mind who is the real creator of culture all these thinkers pay special attention to the question of man’s responsibility for culture as well as for himself. The problem of human responsibility that totally escaped the attention of naturalistically oriented philosophers is somehow a distinguishing characteristic of all humanistic philosophies of culture. (shrink)

The _Symbolic Forms_ has long been considered the greatest of Cassirer’s works. Into it he poured all the resources of his vast learning about language and myth, religion, art, and science—the various creative symbolizing activities and constructions through which man has expressed himself and given intelligible objective form to this experience. “These three volumes alone make an outstanding contribution to epistemology and to the human power of abstraction. It is rather as if ‘The Golden Bough’ had been written in philosophical (...) rather than in historical terms.”—F.I.G. Rawlins, _Nature_. (shrink)