Functions : new essays in the philosophy of psychology and biology

In explaining aspects of the natural world, including the aspects of mind, scientists have frequently used the concept of function. But what are functions? Here, 15 leading scholars of philosophy of psychology and philosophy of biology present new essays on functions. Acknowledgments Contents Introduction Part One History of teleology and functional explanations: From Socrates to Darwin and beyond Chapt 1 Platonic and Aristotelian roots of teleological arguments Andre Ariew Chapt 2 Evolutionary biology and teleological thinking Michael Ruse Part Two Analysis: Functional explanations today Chapt 3 A rebuttal on functions Christopher Boorse Chapt 4 Biofunctions: Two paradigms Ruth Garrett Millikan Chapt 5 On the normativity of functions Valerie Gray Hardcastle Chapt 6 Neoteleology Robert Cummings Chapt 7 Functional organization, Analogy, and inference William Wimsatt Chapt 8 Function and design revisited David Buller Chapt 9 The continuing usefulness account of proper function Peter Schwartz Part Three Teleosemantics Chapt 10 Pagan teleology: Adaptational role and the philosophy of mind Mark Perlman Chapt 11 Indeterminacy of function attributes Berent Eng Chapt 12 Brentano's chestnuts Denis Walsh Part four Methodological issues Chapt 13 Human rationality and the unique origin constraint Mohan Matthen Chapt 14 Real traits real functions Colin Allen Chapt 15 Types of traits: The importance of functional homologues Karen Neander Biographies Index In explaining aspects of the natural world, including the aspects of mind, scientists have frequently used the concept of function. But what are functions? This work presents essays on functions which illuminate this crucial but problematic concept. It is a useful reading for philosophers and scientists alike. There is considerable disagreement about the relation between teleological explanation and functional explanation.