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The Nature of Classification

Relationships and Kinds in the Natural Sciences

  • Book
  • © 2014

Overview

Authors:
  1. John S. Wilkins

    1. University of Melbourne, Australia

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  2. Malte C. Ebach

    1. University of New South Wales, Australia

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. Introduction

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 1-8

  3. The Nature of Science

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 9-27

  4. Nature and Classification

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 28-59

  5. Scientific Classification

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 60-84

  6. Homology and Analogy

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 85-108

  7. Monsters and Misclassifications

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 109-124

  8. Observation, Theory and Domains

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 125-142

  9. Radistics: A Neutral Terminology

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 143-161

  10. Worth the Knowing

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach
    Pages 162-166

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 167-197
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Keywords

About this book

Discussing the generally ignored issue of the classification of natural objects in the philosophy of science, this book focuses on knowledge and social relations, and offers a way to understand classification as a necessary aspect of doing science.

Reviews

“Wilkins and Ebach present an ambitious but well-motivated discussion for a theory-free classification which, if successful, would circumvent the problematic ladenness of observation. As such, The Nature of Classification succeeds in extending discussion of philosophy of classification beyond that of biological systematics and in forging a neutral terminology with which to do so.” (Catherine Kendig, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Vol. 37, August, 2015)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Melbourne, Australia

    John S. Wilkins

  • University of New South Wales, Australia

    Malte C. Ebach

About the authors

John S. Wilkins is Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and Associate Fellow at the University of Sydney, Australia. He works on evolution and religion, the philosophy of taxonomy, and the history of biology. He has published on cognition, cultural evolution, the philosophy of science, and on science communication.

Malte C. Ebach is Senior Lecturer in Biogeography at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and has published on systematic and biogeographical theory and methods. He is an editor for the Journal of Biogeography, Zootaxa and Editor-in-Chief of the Species and Systematics book series.
 

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