Functions Ne Essays in the Philosophy of Psychology and Biology [Paperback]

In explaining aspects of the natural world, including the aspects of mind, scientists have frequently used the concept of function. But what are functions? Here, 15 leading scholars of philosophy of psychology and philosophy of biology present new essays on functions.

Introduction,Andre Ariew and Mark Perlman
History of Teleology and functional explanation: from Socrates to Darwin and Beyond
1. Platonic and Aristotelian Roots of Teleological Arguments in Cosmology and Biology,Andre Ariew
2. Evolutionary Biology and Teleological Thinking,Michael Ruse
Analysis: Functional Explanations Today
3. A Rebuttal on Functions,Christopher Boors
4. Biofunctions: Two Paradigms,Ruth Millikan
5. On the Normativity of Functions,Valerie Gray Hardcastle
6. Neo-Teleology,Robert Cummins
7. Functional Organization, Analogy, and Inference,William Wimsatt
8. Function and Design Revisited,David J. Buller
9. The Continuing Usefulness Account of Proper Function,Peter H. Schwartz
Teleosemantics
10. Pagan Teleology: Adaptational Role and the Philosophy of Mind,Mark Perlman
11. Indeterminacy of Function Attributions,Berent Enc
12. Brentano's Chestnuts,D. M. Walsh
Related Issues
13. Human Rationality and the Unique Origin Constraint,Mohan Matthen
14. Real Traits, Real Functions?,Colin Allen
15. Types of Traits: Function, structure, and homology in the classification of traits,Karen Neander
Biographies, Index

Robert Cummins is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis Mark Perlman is Professor of Philosophy at Western Oregon University Andre Ariew is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Rhode Island