William C. Wimsatt
Encyclopedia
William C. Wimsatt is a professor in the Department of Philosophy, the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science (previously Conceptual Foundations of Science), and the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago
. He specializes in the philosophy of biology
, where his areas of interest include reductionism, heuristics, emergence, modeling, heredity, and cultural evolution. He is a Winton Professor of the Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota and Residential Fellow of the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science.
Wimsatt is the son of the late William Able Wimsatt who was a Cornell University professor specializing in bats. Wimsatt grew up in Ithaca, NY.
Wimsatt received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh
in 1971. His thesis consisted of a philosophical analysis of biological function, and was published in two parts as "Teleology and the Logical Structure of Function Statements" (1972) and "Functional Organization, Functional Analogy, and Functional Inference" (1997). From July 1969 to December 1970, he was a postdoctoral fellow in population biology with Richard Lewontin
at the University of Chicago, and became a professor of Philosophy there upon receiving his PhD. Lewontin, Richard Levins
, Herbert Simon
, and Donald T. Campbell
are all important influences on Wimsatt's work.
Some of the most important commentators on Wimsatt's writings are his students, many of whom are now working as philosophers of science, e.g. Marshall Abrams, Douglas Allchin, Irene Appelbaum, William Bechtel
, Stuart Glennan, James R. Griesemer
, Jeffry Ramsey, Sahotra Sarkar, and Jeffrey Schank. A variety of old and new papers has recently been collected in his book Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings: Piecewise Approximations to Reality (2007).
His son is William 'Upski' Wimsatt, an author and activist.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He specializes in the philosophy of biology
Philosophy of biology
The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences...
, where his areas of interest include reductionism, heuristics, emergence, modeling, heredity, and cultural evolution. He is a Winton Professor of the Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota and Residential Fellow of the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science.
Wimsatt is the son of the late William Able Wimsatt who was a Cornell University professor specializing in bats. Wimsatt grew up in Ithaca, NY.
Wimsatt received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1971. His thesis consisted of a philosophical analysis of biological function, and was published in two parts as "Teleology and the Logical Structure of Function Statements" (1972) and "Functional Organization, Functional Analogy, and Functional Inference" (1997). From July 1969 to December 1970, he was a postdoctoral fellow in population biology with Richard Lewontin
Richard Lewontin
Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin is an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. A leader in developing the mathematical basis of population genetics and evolutionary theory, he pioneered the notion of using techniques from molecular biology such as gel electrophoresis to...
at the University of Chicago, and became a professor of Philosophy there upon receiving his PhD. Lewontin, Richard Levins
Richard Levins
Richard "Dick" Levins is a mathematical ecologist, and political activist. He is best known for his work on evolution in changing environments....
, Herbert Simon
Herbert Simon
Herbert Alexander Simon was an American political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist, and professor—most notably at Carnegie Mellon University—whose research ranged across the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, computer science, public administration, economics,...
, and Donald T. Campbell
Donald T. Campbell
Donald Thomas Campbell was an American social scientist. He is noted for his work in methodology. He coined the term "evolutionary epistemology" and developed a selectionist theory of human creativity.- Biography :...
are all important influences on Wimsatt's work.
Some of the most important commentators on Wimsatt's writings are his students, many of whom are now working as philosophers of science, e.g. Marshall Abrams, Douglas Allchin, Irene Appelbaum, William Bechtel
William Bechtel
William Bechtel is a professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and the Science Studies Program at the University of California, San Diego. He was a Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis from 1994 until 2002...
, Stuart Glennan, James R. Griesemer
James R. Griesemer
James R. Griesemer is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis in Davis, California. He received his PhD in 1983 in the Conceptual Foundations of Science at the University of Chicago...
, Jeffry Ramsey, Sahotra Sarkar, and Jeffrey Schank. A variety of old and new papers has recently been collected in his book Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings: Piecewise Approximations to Reality (2007).
His son is William 'Upski' Wimsatt, an author and activist.
Selected publications
- (1972). "Teleology and the Logical Structure of Function Statements." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 3: 1-80.
- (1980). "Reductionistic Research Strategies and their Biases in the Units of Selection Controversy." In Scientific Discovery: Case Studies, ed. T. Nickles, pp. 213–259.
- (1981). "Units of Selection and the Structure of the Multi-Level Genome." PSA 1980: 122-183.
- (1986). "Developmental Constraints, Generative Entrenchment, and the Innate-Acquired Distinction." In Integrating Scientific Disciplines, ed. W. Bechtel, pp. 185–208.
- (1997). "Functional Organization, Functional Analogy, and Functional Inference." Evolution and Cognition 3: 2-32.
- (1999). "Genes, Memes, and Cultural Inheritance." Biology and Philosophy 14: 279-310
- (2007). Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings: Piecewise Approximations to Reality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.