The Nature of Classification

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 1-8

3. The Nature of Science

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 9-27

4. Nature and Classification

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 28-59

5. Scientific Classification

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 60-84

6. Homology and Analogy

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 85-108

7. Monsters and Misclassifications

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 109-124

8. Observation, Theory and Domains

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 125-142

9. Radistics: A Neutral Terminology

   • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

   Pages 143-161

10. Worth the Knowing

    • John S. Wilkins, Malte C. Ebach

    Pages 162-166

11. Back Matter

    Pages 167-197

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Discussing the generally ignored issue of the classification of natural objects in the philosophy of science, this book focuses on knowledge and social relations, and offers a way to understand classification as a necessary aspect of doing science.

• analogy
• natural science
• philosophy of science
• science

“Wilkins and Ebach present an ambitious but well-motivated discussion for a theory-free classification which, if successful, would circumvent the problematic ladenness of observation. As such, The Nature of Classification succeeds in extending discussion of philosophy of classification beyond that of biological systematics and in forging a neutral terminology with which to do so.” (Catherine Kendig, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Vol. 37, August, 2015)

• University of Melbourne, Australia

  John S. Wilkins

• University of New South Wales, Australia

  Malte C. Ebach

John S. Wilkins is Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and Associate Fellow at the University of Sydney, Australia. He works on evolution and religion, the philosophy of taxonomy, and the history of biology. He has published on cognition, cultural evolution, the philosophy of science, and on science communication.

Malte C. Ebach is Senior Lecturer in Biogeography at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and has published on systematic and biogeographical theory and methods. He is an editor for the Journal of Biogeography, Zootaxa and Editor-in-Chief of the Species and Systematics book series.
 

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