'… it's a volume that … will surely provide something of interest for nearly every philosophical reader.' Shane N. Glackin, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

How Biology Shapes Philosophy is a seminal contribution to the emerging field of biophilosophy. It brings together work by philosophers who draw on biology to address traditional and not so traditional philosophical questions and concerns. Thirteen essays by leading figures in the field explore the biological dimensions of ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, gender, semantics, rationality, representation, and consciousness, as well as the misappropriation of biology by philosophers, allowing the reader to critically interrogate the relevance of biology for philosophy. Both rigorous and accessible, the essays illuminate philosophy and help us to acquire a deeper understanding of the human condition. This volume will be of interest to philosophers, biologists, social scientists, and other readers with an interest in bringing science and the humanities together.

1. Biophilosophy David Livingstone Smith
2. Darwin and the overdue demise of essentialism Daniel C. Dennett
3. Darwinism as philosophy: can the universal acid be contained? Alexander Rosenberg
4. Animal evolution and the origins of experience Peter Godfrey-Smith
5. Neurophilosophy Patricia Churchland
6. Teleosemantics David Papineau
7. The methodological argument for informational teleosemantics Karen Neander
8. Nature's purposes and mine Ronald De Sousa
9. Biology and the theory of rationality Samir Okasha
10. Evolution and ethical life Philip Kitcher
11. Human nature Edouard Machery
12. A postgenomic perspective on sex and gender John Dupré
13. Biophilosophy of race Luc Faucher
14. How philosophers 'learn' from biology: reductionist and anti-reductionist 'lessons' Richard N. Boyd.

Subject Areas: Philosophy of science [PDA], Philosophy [HP]