Beisbart, Claus; Reuter, Kevin (2021). What Is the Folk Concept of Life? Australasian journal of philosophy, 101(2), pp. 486-507. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 10.1080/00048402.2021.1995449
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This paper details the content and structure of the folk concept of life, and discusses its relevance for scientific research on life. In four empirical studies, we investigate which features of life are considered salient, universal, central, and necessary. Functionings, such as nutrition and reproduction, but not material composition, turn out to be salient features commonly associated with living beings (Study 1). By contrast, being made of cells is considered a universal feature of living species (Study 2), a central aspect of life (Study 3), and our best candidate for being necessary for life (Study 4). These results are best explained by the hypothesis that people take life to be a natural kind subject to scientific scrutiny.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Philosophy 06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Philosophy > Theoretical Philosophy 10 Strategic Research Centers > Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) |
UniBE Contributor: |
Beisbart, Claus |
Subjects: |
100 Philosophy 100 Philosophy > 110 Metaphysics 100 Philosophy > 120 Epistemology |
ISSN: |
1471-6828 |
Publisher: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Claus Beisbart |
Date Deposited: |
11 Apr 2022 15:24 |
Last Modified: |
04 Jun 2023 02:06 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1080/00048402.2021.1995449 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
experimental philosophy; living being; biology; cells; natural kind; salient vs. universal features |
BORIS DOI: |
10.48350/168725 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/168725 |
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