<p>Biological individuals have been at the centre of a series of persistent debates, both in philosophy and biology. Many of these discussions have developed under the assumption that biological individuals form a heterogenous kind of objects comprised by various interrelated sub-kinds, such as evolutionary and physiological individuals. In recent years, however, some works have started to question the overall status of this broad kind, including its explanatory capabilities and other seemingly defensible characteristics that earlier stages of the discussions had taken for granted. This paper follows that trail but starts from a slightly different point. I look at a series of contrasts, ambiguities, and foundational aspects of biological individuality to suggest that biological individuals are more fragmented than usually recognized.</p>

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The fragmentary nature of biological individuals

  • Cristóbal Unwin Holzapfel

摘要

Biological individuals have been at the centre of a series of persistent debates, both in philosophy and biology. Many of these discussions have developed under the assumption that biological individuals form a heterogenous kind of objects comprised by various interrelated sub-kinds, such as evolutionary and physiological individuals. In recent years, however, some works have started to question the overall status of this broad kind, including its explanatory capabilities and other seemingly defensible characteristics that earlier stages of the discussions had taken for granted. This paper follows that trail but starts from a slightly different point. I look at a series of contrasts, ambiguities, and foundational aspects of biological individuality to suggest that biological individuals are more fragmented than usually recognized.