Thinking about Life

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. What is Science?

   Pages 1-11

3. Culture, Technology and Knowledge

   Pages 13-23

4. Classical Roots

   Pages 25-36

5. Mediaeval Views of the World

   Pages 37-55

6. The Scientific Revolution

   Pages 57-74

7. The ‘Scientific Revolution’ in Biology

   Pages 75-88

8. Aristotle's Biology

   Pages 89-98

9. How Different Are Organisms from Inanimate Objects?

   Pages 99-113

10. Cell Theory and Experimental Physiology: New Ideas in a Changing Society

    Pages 115-127

11. Embryos and Entelechy

    Pages 129-145

12. Spontaneous Generation

    Pages 147-159

13. The Evolution of Darwinism

    Pages 161-176

14. The Great Heredity Debate

    Pages 177-192

15. Evolutionary Theory Attains Maturity

    Pages 193-205

16. The Problem of Purpose

    Pages 207-214

17. The Scientific Status of Biology

    Pages 215-228

18. Back Matter

    Pages 229-267

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Our previous book, About Life, concerned modern biology. We used our present-day understanding of cells to ‘define’ the living state, providing a basis for exploring several general-interest topics: the origin of life, extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and the possibility that humans are unique. The ideas we proposed in About Life were intended as starting-points for debate – we did not claim them as ‘truth’ – but the information on which they were based is currently accepted as ‘scientific fact’. What does that mean? What is ‘scientific fact’ and why is it accepted? What is science – and is biology like other sciences such as physics (except in subject m- ter)? The book you are now reading investigates these questions – and some related ones. Like About Life, it may particularly interest a reader who wishes to change career to biology and its related subdisciplines. In line with a recommendation by the British Association for the Advancement of Science – that the public should be given fuller information about the nature of science – we present the concepts underpinning biology and a survey of its historical and philosophical basis.

• Philosophie
• Popular Science
• Scientific Revolution
• science
• scientific practice

• Theoretical and Cell Biology Consultancy, Glossop, UK

  Paul S. Agutter

• BioMedES Leggat House, Keithhall, UK

  Denys N. Wheatley

Policies and ethics