Microbes and microbiology are seldom encountered in philosophical accounts of the life sciences. Although microbiology is a well-established science and microbes the basis of life on this planet, neither the organisms nor the science have been seen as philosophically significant. This book will change that. It fills a major gap in the philosophy of biology by examining central philosophical issues in microbiology. Topics are drawn from evolutionary microbiology, microbial ecology, and microbial classification. These discussions are aimed at philosophers and scientists who wish to gain insight into the basic philosophical issues of microbiology.

List of figures and tables viii

Acknowledgements x

An introduction to philosophy of microbiology 1

1 Philosophy in microbiology; microbes in philosophy 16

2 Philosophical debates in high-level microbial classification 45

3 Philosophical debates in species-level microbial classification 65

4 Philosophical issues in microbial evolution 95

5 Microbial ecology from a philosophical perspective 132

6 Microbes as model biological systems 173

Conclusion: further philosophical questions 201

Glossary 219

References 222

Index 261

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