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Course description

NOT 2009 This unit looks at some of the philosophical issues arising out of the study of the life sciences - primarily biology & ecology. These issues include problems associated with the theory of evolution, such as: (i) recent philosophical debate on the unit of selection; (ii) how is it possible for altruism to evolve; (iii) the role of Simpson's paradox in accounting for such apparently maladaptive traits; (iv) how applicable are evolutionary explanations to sociology & epistemology.