1. Two Philosophical Issues Raised By Evolution: Holism and Teleology

With regard to the discipline of evolutionary biology, much discussion has focused on the issue of reductionism. Interest in nonreductive epistemic hierarchies has led a number of scholars to formulate various notions of "emergence" as alternatives to reductive materialism. The place of randomness in evolutionary theory has also received much attention in this context. Scholars in theology and science have sought to defend theological notions of God's purposes and action in nature against reductionist arguments for a materialist and purposeless view of nature.

Contributed by: Dr. Robert Russell