Genes: philosophical analyses put to the test.

Karola Stotz*, Paul Griffiths

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    66 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper describes one complete and one ongoing empirical study in which philosophical analyses of the concept of the gene were operationalized and tested against questionnaire data obtained from working biologists to determine whether and when biologists conceive genes in the ways suggested. These studies throw light on how different gene concepts contribute to biological research. Their aim is not to arrive at one or more correct 'definitions' of the gene, but rather to map out the variation in the gene concept and to explore its causes and its effects.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)5-28
    Number of pages24
    JournalHistory and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
    Volume26
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2004

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Genes: philosophical analyses put to the test.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this