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About John S. Wilkins

Historian and philosopher of science, especially biology and religion. Apple tragic. Pratchett fan. Curmudgeon. Punster. Fatso.

Evolution quote: Sirks and Zirkle

Posted on April 25, 2011

Reposted from Evolving Thoughts At this point it might be well to insert a fact that has generally been overlooked by the historians of biology. The pre-evolutionary concept of species is generally given as a universally accepted view that species … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, History, Philosophy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What is systematics and what is taxonomy?

Posted on February 5, 2011

Over the past few years there have been increasing numbers of calls for governments to properly fund systematics and taxonomy (and a number of largely molecular-focused biologists insisting they can do the requisite tasks with magic molecule detectors, so don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Biology, Epistemology, Evolution, General Science, History, Philosophy | 1 Comment

Attacks on philosophy by scientists

Posted on December 30, 2010

Reposted from my home blog. Something that I never really fully understand is why academics feel the need to denigrate other academic disciplines. Just because one happens to think something is so worthwhile that they devoted their lives to it … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged | 55 Comments

Darwin’s motivation

Posted on December 5, 2010

For some time now I have been convinced that Darwin’s original and most pressing problem was not adaptation. It was the existence of taxonomic diversity. I have thought that the debates over what was a natural classification amongst the unjustly … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How many species concepts are there?

Posted on October 21, 2010

I make an argument for everything from 27 to 0 at Grrlscientist’s blog at the Guardian.

Posted in Biology, Philosophy | Leave a comment

More deaths

Posted on October 18, 2010

Two researchers have recently died who are relevant to evolutionary biology. Leigh Van Valen, the originator of the “Red Queen Hypothesis” and a proponent of the Ecological Species Concept, died yesterday, John Hawks is reporting. I had some correspondence with … Continue reading →

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The historical way to do science

Posted on October 2, 2010

A review of two history of science books in History Today starts out The story of science is Whig history. We are forever cherry-picking the routes by which we came to our present understanding of the world – and the … Continue reading →

Posted in History

On the origins of creativity

Posted on September 25, 2010

I’m not a very creative guy. I had an idea back in the 1970s, but I managed not to do anything about it in time for someone else to do something with an almost identical idea. I think I dodged … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Epistemology, Evolution, Philosophy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Links series

Posted on September 23, 2010

At my blog Evolving Thoughts, I do links posts about twice a week (all with titles of 1980s movies). They often have HPS material. You can subscribe to them here.

Posted in Administrative | Leave a comment

In memoriam Margaret Osler

Posted on September 22, 2010

An obituary for Margaret Osler is here [h/t Leiter].

Posted in History, Teaching HPS | Leave a comment