{"product_id":"agents-and-goals-in-evolution-hardcover","title":"Agents and Goals in Evolution - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSamir Okasha\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSamir Okasha approaches evolutionary biology from a philosophical perspective in \u003cem\u003eAgents and Goals in Evolution\u003c\/em\u003e, analysing a mode of thinking in biology called agential thinking. He considers how the paradigm case involves treating an evolved organism as if it were an agent pursuing a goal, \u003cbr\u003esuch as survival or reproduction, and seeing its phenotypic traits as strategies for achieving that goal or furthering its biological interests. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs agential thinking deliberately transposes a set of concepts - goals, interests, strategies - from rational human agents and to the biological world more generally, Okasha's enquiry firstly looks at the justification for this: is it mere anthropomorphism, or does it play a genuine intellectual\u003cbr\u003erole in the science? From this central question, key points are considered such as: how do we identify the 'goal' that evolved organisms will behave as if they are trying to achieve? Can agential thinking ever be applied to groups rather than to individual organisms? And how does agential thinking\u003cbr\u003erelate to the controversies over fitness-maximization in evolutionary biology? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn addition, Okasha examines the relation between the adaptive and the rational by considering whether organisms can validly be treated as agent-like. Should we expect their evolved behaviour to correspond with that of rational agents as codified in the theory of rational choice? If so, does this\u003cbr\u003emean that the fitness-maximizing paradigm of the evolutionary biologist can be mapped directly to the utility-maximizing paradigm of the rational choice theorist? All of these important questions are engagingly raised and discussed at length.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSamir Okasha \u003c\/strong\u003eis Professor of Philosophy of Science and Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Bristol, where he has worked since 2003. He previously held positions at the University of York, LSE, and the National University of Mexico. Okasha is the author of numerous articles on topics in philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, evolutionary theory, and epistemology. His book \u003cem\u003eEvolution and the Levels of Selection\u003c\/em\u003e (OUP 2006) was awarded the Lakatos Prize for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science. He is currently President of the European Philosophy of Science Association.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 9.3 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 21, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42724577312831,"sku":"9780198815082","price":160.06,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/88eb9de2e40ac7f637d66079df4be71d.webp?v=1765103150","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/agents-and-goals-in-evolution-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}