The concepts of form and function have traditionally been defined in terms of biology and then extended to other disciplines. The author examines the various interpretations of form and function in science and philosophy, reflecting on the philosophical presuppositions underlying the work of Geoffroy, Cuvier and Darwin, among others. In the continental tradition of Canguilhem and Foucalt, the author's treatment of the historical form/function dispute analyzes the complex interactions among ideology, metaphysical commitment and causal mechanisms.
- ISBN13 9780810113978
- Publish Date 30 December 1996 (first published 18 December 1996)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 24 April 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Northwestern University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 220
- Language English