PHIL 4555 — Philosophy of Biology
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath CENUpath WIusually offered: springtypical days: T/FBostonTraditional
Explores the conceptual foundations of evolution, ecology, and genetics, with special attention to outstanding philosophical questions. Surveys central philosophical and theoretical issues on topics such as the units of selection, the concept and nature of evolutionary fitness, biological functions, causation, biological individuality, the concept of a species, the biology of social behavior, and the explanatory role of natural selection. Also examines the relationship between biology, the physical sciences, and the social sciences. Requires prior completion of three philosophy and/or biology courses.
Prerequisites
- Requires prior completion of three philosophy and/or biology courses
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 1 | 19 | 19 | 100% | 0.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 0% · T 100% · W 0% · Th 0% · F 100%
Common patterns: TF (100% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Spring
- Rory Smead (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (PHIL course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All PHIL courses · Plan it at numap.app