Species Problems and Beyond

<p>Species Problems and Beyond offers a collection of up-to-date essays discussing from an interdisciplinary perspective the many ramifications of the ‘Species Problem.’ The authors represent experts in the philosophy of biology in species-level evolutionary investigations and in biodiversity studies and conservation. Some of the topics addressed concern the context sensitivity of the term ‘species’; species as individuals processes natural kinds or as ‘operative concepts’; species delimitation in the age of Big (genomic) Data; and taxonomic inflation and its consequences for conservation strategies. The carefully edited volume will be an invaluable resource for philosophers of biology and evolutionary biologists alike. </p><p>– Olivier Rieppel Rowe Family Curator of Evolutionary Biology Negaunee Integrative Research Center Field Museum USA</p><p>Species or ‘the Species Problem’ is a topic in science in the philosophy of science and in general philosophy. In fact it encompasses many aspects of the same problem and these are dealt with in this volume. Species are often thought of as fundamental units of biological matter to be used in ecology conservation classification and biodiversity. The chapters in this book present opposing views on the current philosophical and conceptual issues of the Species Problem in biology.</p><p>Divided into four sections <b>Concepts and Theories</b> <b>Practice and Methods</b> <b>Ranks and Trees and Names</b> and <b>Metaphysics and Epistemologies</b> the book is authored by biologists philosophers and historians many leaders in their fields. Topics include ontology of species definitions of both species category and units species rank speciation issues nomenclature ecology and species conservation.</p><p>Species Problems and Beyond aims to clarify the contemporary issues of the Species Problem. It is ideal for use in upper-level seminars and courses in Evolutionary Biology Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Biology Systematics and Taxonomy and Phylogenetics/Cladistics and for any scholar in these fields.</p>