How biologists conceptualize genes: an empirical study

Philosophers and historians of biology have argued that genes are conceptualized differently in different fields of biology and that these differences influence both the conduct of research and the interpretation of research by audiences outside the field in which the research was conducted. In this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in history and philosophy of science. Part C, Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences, 2004-12, Vol.35 (4), p.647-673
Main Authors: Stotz, Karola, Griffiths, Paul E., Knight, Rob
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conceptual change
Epistemic object
Gene concept
Gene-D
Gene-for
Gene-P
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Summary:Philosophers and historians of biology have argued that genes are conceptualized differently in different fields of biology and that these differences influence both the conduct of research and the interpretation of research by audiences outside the field in which the research was conducted. In this paper we report the results of a questionnaire study of how genes are conceptualized by biological scientists at the University of Sydney, Australia. The results provide tentative support for some hypotheses about conceptual differences between different fields of biological research.
ISSN:1369-8486
1879-2499
DOI:10.1016/j.shpsc.2004.09.005