General Introduction -- How the choice of experimental organism matters: epistemological reflections on an aspect of biological practice -- Unification and coherence as methodological objectives in the biological sciences -- "Adaptation" -- The influence of the evolutionary paadigm -- "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" (Theodosius Dobzhansky) -- On conceptual change in biology: the case of the gene -- Technique, task definition, and the transition from genetics to molecular genetics: aspects of the work on protein synthesis in the laboratories of J. Monod and P. Zamecnik -- Too many kinds of genes? Some problems posed by discontinuities in gene concepts and the continuity of the genetic material -- Lillie's paradox- or some hazards of cellular geography -- On conflicts between genetics and developmental viewpoints- and their attempted resolution in molecular biology -- Reconceiving animals and their evolution: on some consequences of new research on the modularity of development and evolution
Summary
These essays examine the developments in three fundamental biological disciplines - embryology, evolutionary biology, and genetics. These disciplines were in conflict for much of the twentieth century and the essays in this collection examine key methodological problems within these disciplines and the difficulties faced in overcoming the conflicts between them
