David Jopling
jopling@yorku.ca

Philosophy of Biology is an introduction to and exploration of some of the major questions in the philosophy of biology. The course is divided into four sections.

A). The course opens with a difficult and still unresolved question about evolution and life, to which we will return later in the course: is there extra-terrestrial intelligence in the universe? Two opposing answers, one by the biologist Ernst Mayr (no there isn't) and one by the astrophysicist Carl Sagan (yes there is) are the subject of discussion.

1. B) From that auspicious starting point, the course moves backwards in time, to the mid-1700s, to look at William Paley's watchmaker analogy as proof of the existence of design and intelligence in nature. This is followed by Hume's rebuttal of the analogy, as well as Hume's own close encounter with the concept of natural selection. From there is a brief discussion of Lamarck's early views about organic evolution, and Lyell's ideas about geologic time; and then Darwin's theory of natural selection.

1. C) After the historical section, the course jumps forward to contemporary topics that were anticipated by Darwin: the concept of a species; natural selection and its role in the evolution of species; the concept of adaptation; the role played by environmental and abiotic selection pressures in speciation and extinction; the contingency of evolution (Gould's "replaying the tape of life thought experiment"); and convergent evolution.

1. D) The final part of the course looks at human evolution, and focuses on some of the main theories at play in current evolutionary anthropology and paleo-anthropology.

Reading by Darwin, Mayr, Gould, Lewontin, Vrba, Dennett, Dawkins, Conway Morris, Pinker, Richerson and Boyd, Henrich, and Wrangham.

Technical requirements for taking the course:

You will need a computer (or tablet) and an internet connection. There is no video conferencing in this course. Office hours will be held once weekly via zoom, using zoom audio only; or by email exchange; or by phone.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

Times and locations:

The entire course, including the submission of assignments and posts to the discussion forum, will take place on the course’s Moodle site. Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted to the Moodle site at the start of each week. There are no live online meetings or group discussions or classes. Like an online course, you can learn the course material at your own pace, following the schedule of readings and activities, and synchronizing them to the quiz and essay dates. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

Virtual office hours:

Virtual office hours by email exchanges Monday to Friday, or by zoom audio meeting (not video) one hour per week; or by phone. Time and day TBA.

There is no course textbook. All readings are available online, and links to them are posted on the moodle site for the course. Readings by Darwin, Mayr, Dennett, Lewontin, Gould, Dawkins, Sterelny, Richerson and Boyd, Conway Morris, Pinker, Cosmides and Tooby, Henrich, Dunbar, and Wrangham.

Two essays (40% each), one midway through the course and one at the end; and two quizzes (10% each), one midway through the course and one at the end. Dates TBA.

The course is asynchronous. You can complete the readings and listen to the lectures at your own pace, and post comments on the Moodle discussion forum for each of the topics at any time. Lectures that cover the readings will be posted to the Moodle website each week. Midway through the course, and then at the end of the course, there will be an online quiz.

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1. a) describe and explain a number of important issues in the philosophy of biology;
2. b) critically evaluate the philosophical implications and problems associated with these issues;
3. c) understand and explain the relevance and importance of the philosophy of biology to contemporary biology and evolutionary theory.

Course policies

1. All audio recordings should be used for educational purposes only and as a means

for enhancing accessibility.

2. Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the recordings outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also FIPPA.
3. All recordings will be destroyed after the end of the course.
4. Please hand in all assignments on time. Extensions are allowed in the event of illness, bereavement, disabilities, or special needs. Work that is submitted late and that falls outside these conditions will incur a late penalty of 2% per day. Students with disabilities automatically receive extensions.
5. Please refer to Senate Policy on Academic Honesty: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm.
6. Please refer to The Academic Integrity Tutorial at: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/