How Kant Matters For Biology A Philosophical History

A re-evaluation of Kant’s influence on science in light of Kant’s own views on biology. Kant denied biology the status of a proper science, yet his account of the organism profoundly influenced a range of intellectual disciplines. This book examines Kant’s influence on biology in the British Isles by proposing that his influence owes to misunderstandings of his philosophy. Andrew Jones exposes the incompatibility between transcendental realism and scientific naturalism and charts how Kant, nevertheless, influenced various aspects of the scientific method. With this context in mind, Jones examines the extent to which core concepts in contemporary philosophy—natural law, the unity of science, and our understanding of organisms— are compatible with scientific naturalism and proposes new avenues for developing Kant-inspired approaches within contemporary philosophy of science.