Darwin and the Nature of Species

David N. Stamos

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780791469385, 9780791469378
• eBook ISBN: 9780791480885
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory
• Index: History

Examines Darwin's concept of species in a philosophical context.

Since the 1859 publication of On the Origin of Species, the concept of "species" in biology has been widely debated, with its precise definition far from settled. And yet, amazingly, there have been no books devoted to Charles Darwin's thinking on the term until now. David N. Stamos gives us a groundbreaking, historical reconstruction of Darwin's detailed, yet often misinterpreted, thoughts on this complex concept.

Stamos provides a thorough and detailed analysis of Darwin's extensive writings, both published and unpublished, in order to reveal Darwin's actual species concept. Stamos argues that Darwin had a unique evolutionary species concept in mind, one that was not at all a product of his time. Challenging currently accepted views that believe Darwin was merely following the species ascriptions of his fellow naturalists, Stamos works to prove that this prevailing, nominalistic view should be overturned. This book also addresses three issues pertinent to the philosophy of science: the modern species problem, the nature of concept change in scientific revolutions, and the contextualist trend in professional history of science.

Table of contents

• Darwin and the Nature of Species
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. A History of Nominalist Interpretation
• 2. Taxon, Category, and Laws of Nature
• 3. The Horizontal/Vertical Distinction and the Language Analogy
• 4. Common Descent and Natural Classification
• 5. Natural Selection and the Unity of Science
• 6. Not Sterility, Fertility, or Niches
• 7. The Varieties Problem
• 8. Darwin’s Strategy
• 9. Concept Change in Scientific Revolutions
• 10. Darwin and the New Historiography
• Notes
• References
• Index