Folkbiology

The term folkbiology refers to people''s everyday understanding of the biologicalworld -- how they perceive categorize and reason about living kinds. The study of folkbiology notonly sheds light on human nature it may ultimately help us make the transition to a global economywithout irreparably damaging the environment or destroying local cultures.Thisbook takes an interdisciplinary approach bringing together the work of researchers in anthropologycognitive and developmental psychology biology and philosophy of science. The issues coveredinclude: Are folk taxonomies a first-order approximation to classical scientific taxonomies or arethey driven more directly by utilitarian concerns? How are these category schemes linked toreasoning about natural kinds? Is there any nontrivial sense in which folk-taxonomic structures areuniversal? What impact does science have on folk taxonomy? Together the chapters present thecurrent foundations of folkbiology and indicate new directions inresearch.Contributors: Scott Atran Terry Kit-fong Au Brent Berlin K. DavidBishop John D. Coley Jared Diamond John Dupr Roy Ellen Susan A. Gelman Michael T. GhiselinGrant Gutheil Giyoo Hatano Lawrence A. Hirschfeld David L. Hull Eugene Hunn Kayoko InagakiFrank C. Keil Daniel T. Levin Elizabeth Lynch Douglas L. Medin Julia Beth Proffitt Bethany A.Richman Laura F. Romo Sandra R. Waxman.