Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Evolutionary Epistemology — A Challenge to Science and Philosophy

   • Franz M. Wuketits

   Pages 1-33

3. Evolution and Evolutionary Knowledge

   • Rupert Riedl

   Pages 35-50

4. A Short Introduction to the Biological Principles of Evolutionary Epistemology

   • Robert Kaspar

   Pages 51-67

5. Mesocosm and Objective Knowledge

   • Gerhard Vollmer

   Pages 69-121

6. Neurobiological Aspects of Intelligence

   • Franz Seitelberger

   Pages 123-148

7. The Evolution of Scientific Method

   • Erhard Oeser

   Pages 149-184

8. The Ethics of Science: Compatible with the Concept of Evolutionary Epistemology?

   • Hans Mohr

   Pages 185-208

9. The Metaphysical Limits of Evolutionary Epistemology

   • Reinhard Löw

   Pages 209-231

10. Evolutionary Causality, Theory of Games, and Evolution of Intelligence

    • Werner Leinfellner

    Pages 233-277

11. Evolutionary Epistemology — A New Copernican Revolution?

    • Franz M. Wuketits

    Pages 279-284

12. Appendix The Logical Basis of Evolutionary Epistemology

    • Günter P. Wagner

    Pages 285-307

13. Back Matter

    Pages 309-322

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The present volume brings together current interdisciplinary research which adds up to an evolutionary theory of human knowledge, Le. evolutionary epistemology. It comprises ten papers, dealing with the basic concepts, approaches and data in evolutionary epistemology and discussing some of their most important consequences. Because I am convinced that criticism, if not confused with mere polemics, is apt to stimulate the maturation of a scientific or philosophical theory, I invited Reinhard Low to present his critical view of evolutionary epistemology and to indicate some limits of our evolutionary conceptions. The main purpose of this book is to meet the urgent need of both science and philosophy for a comprehensive up-to-date approach to the problem of knowledge, going beyond the traditional disciplinary boundaries of scientific and philosophical thought. Evolutionary epistemology has emerged as a naturalistic and science-oriented view of knowledge taking cognizance of, and compatible with, results of biological, psychological, anthropological and linguistic inquiries concerning the structure and development of man's cognitive apparatus. Thus, evolutionary epistemology serves as a frame­ work for many contemporary discussions of the age-old problem of human knowledge.

• Immanuel Kant
• epistemology
• knowledge
• logic

• University of Vienna, Austria

  Franz M. Wuketits

Policies and ethics