Evolution by the Numbers

The Origins of Mathematical Argument in Biology

James Wynn

• Editorial: Parlor Press, LLC
• Año: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781602352186
• Categoría: Matematica
• Categoría: Storia e filosofia della matematica

In Evolution by the Numbers: The Origins of Mathematical Argument in Biology, James Wynn examines the confluence of science, mathematics, and rhetoric in the development of theories of evolution and heredity in the nineteenth century. Evolution by the Numbers shows how mathematical warrants become accepted sources for argument in the biological sciences and explores the importance of rhetorical strategies in persuading biologists to accept mathematical arguments.

Índice

• Front cover
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• 1 Introduction
• 2 A Proper Science: Mathematics, Experience, and Argument in Nineteenth-Century Science
• 3 Evolution by the Numbers: Mathematical Arguments in The Origin of Species
• 4 Hidden Value: Mendel, Mathematics, and the Case for Uniform Particulate Inheritance
• 5 Probable Cause: Rhetorical Strategies and Francis Galton’s Arguments for a Mathematical Model of Inheritance
• 6 Behind the Curve: Karl Pearson and the Push for Theoretical Mathematical Biology
• 7 Weightless Elephants on Frictionless Surfaces: The Ethos of Biometry
• Afterword
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Notes
• Works Cited
• Index
• About the Author
• Back cover