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The Species Category as a Scientific Kind

Hazelwood, Caleb (2021) The Species Category as a Scientific Kind. Synthese.

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Abstract

Marc Ereshefsky’s project of eliminative pluralism holds that, as there is no unifying feature among all species concepts, we ought to doubt the existence of the species category. Here, I argue that one promising strategy for saving the species category is to reframe it as a natural kind after the practice turn. I suggest situating the species category within a recent account of natural kinds proposed by Marc Ereshefsky and Thomas Reydon called “scientific kinds”. Scientific kinds highlight ontological boundaries. More importantly, they recognize boundaries drawn from the lab and the field, not only from the armchair. The point of this exercise is to situate the species category within an account of natural kinds that is sensitive to scientific practice. In order to argue for a realist interpretation of the species category, and not merely a pragmatic one, I rely on an approach to scientific metaphysics from Ken Waters that shifts the attention from “theory focused” to “practice-centered” analysis.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Hazelwood, Calebcaleb.hazelwood@gmail.com0000-0002-7421-3581
Keywords: Species pluralism Species eliminativism Scientific kinds Natural kinds Practice centered Metaphysics Practice turn
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Biology
Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation
Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory
Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
Specific Sciences > Biology > Systematics
General Issues > Natural Kinds
General Issues > Operationalism/Instrumentalism
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Depositing User: Caleb Hazelwood
Date Deposited: 31 Jan 2023 18:27
Last Modified: 31 Jan 2023 18:27
Item ID: 21692
Journal or Publication Title: Synthese
Publisher: Springer
Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-0...
DOI or Unique Handle: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-02025-4
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Biology
Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation
Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory
Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
Specific Sciences > Biology > Systematics
General Issues > Natural Kinds
General Issues > Operationalism/Instrumentalism
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Date: 2021
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21692

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