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John Wilkins is an aged, eternal student, who thinks philosophy of biology is at least as interesting as politics or sport and twice as important. He has a PhD from the University of Melbourne and a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow Sessional Lecturer at the University of Queensland, in Australia. After a varied career, involving factories, gardening, civil service, publishing, graphics, public relations but not, unfortunately for the CV, driving a truck, John finally completed his thesis on species concepts in 2004, which he has worked into two books. Species Definitions: A Sourcebook (Peter Lang) will come out in 2008; Species: A History of an Idea (University of California Press) will appear, it is hoped, in early 2009. He is also interested in cultural evolution, philosophy of religion, Macintosh computers and his kids.
If anyone knows of a tenurable, or even medium term, job in philosophy of biology, let me know. Have library, will travel. The contract ran out ...
This blog is designed to host any random thoughts that happen to be passing through my forebrain at a given moment. So there will be errors...
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Category: Biodiversity • Creationism • Evolution • General Science • Philosophy of Science • Politics • Sermon • Social evolution • Species and systematics
Posted on: June 26, 2008 11:54 PM, by John S. Wilkins
- Barbara Forrest has an excellent analysis and background story on the introduction of the creationist bill in Louisiana, and the organisations supporting it, here at Talk2Reason.
- There's a new phylogeny of birds out. See GrrllScientist's post, and a full size tree here. Late edit See Bird Evolution - Problems with Science for more.
- Jesse Prinz has an essay on atheism and morality, which I think jumps the shark at the end (how can there be atheist charities? Atheism is the lack of some belief, so any charity that doesn't make theism part of its core mission already is atheist), here at Psychology Today.
- Michael Ruse has an interesting and entertaining review of, among other things, Bill Wimsatt's book, at American Scientist.
- It turns out we can know what it is like to be a bat...
- Science After Sunclipse has a discussion on what education can be achieved by science blogs. Laelaps' Brian Switek responds.
- Sciguy reports that Spain is about to give basic human rights to apes, something I have previously supported elsewhere.
- Stephen Hale had already argued one can prove a negative, before I did. Hat tip: Abnormal Interests.
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Thanks for the link!
Sciguy reports that Spain is about to give basic human rights to apes, something I have previously supported elsewhere.
That is excellent news; I certainly hope the legislation goes through. If you haven't seen it already you should definitely check out the Nature special "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History," too.
Posted by: Laelaps | June 27, 2008 7:22 AM
The comments on that SciGuy link are mostly so deeply stupid I'm left wondering how they mustered the basic literacy to post them. How does an intelligent poster attract a rabble like that?
Posted by: chris y | June 27, 2008 9:18 AM
I learned about Wimsatt's book through your blog and the title made me take a look at it in Amazon. The description there made me think it might be interesting to read it, but if it's being reviewed in American Scientist (and by Ruse), I'll have the best reference possible.
Posted by: Ribozyme | June 27, 2008 4:31 PM