Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology: Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge

✍ Scribed by Franz M. Wuketits (auth.), Franz M. Wuketits (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 328
• Series: Theory and Decision Library 36
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xiii
Evolutionary Epistemology — A Challenge to Science and Philosophy....Pages 1-33
Evolution and Evolutionary Knowledge....Pages 35-50
A Short Introduction to the Biological Principles of Evolutionary Epistemology....Pages 51-67
Mesocosm and Objective Knowledge....Pages 69-121
Neurobiological Aspects of Intelligence....Pages 123-148
The Evolution of Scientific Method....Pages 149-184
The Ethics of Science: Compatible with the Concept of Evolutionary Epistemology?....Pages 185-208
The Metaphysical Limits of Evolutionary Epistemology....Pages 209-231
Evolutionary Causality, Theory of Games, and Evolution of Intelligence....Pages 233-277
Evolutionary Epistemology — A New Copernican Revolution?....Pages 279-284
Appendix The Logical Basis of Evolutionary Epistemology....Pages 285-307
Back Matter....Pages 309-322

✦ Subjects

Philosophy of the Social Sciences