Robert N. Brandon, Professor Emeritus edit
Robert N. Brandon (Ph.D. 1979, Harvard)
joined the Duke Faculty in fall of 1979. He
holds a joint appointment in Philosophy and
Biology
. He
has published articles in
Philosophy of Science, Studies in
History and
Philosophy of Science, Biology and
Philosophy, PSA 1980 and PSA
1982, some of
which have subsequently been anthologized.
He has co-edited (with Richard Burian)
Genes, Organisms, Populations:
Controversies over the Units of Selection
(Bradford Books, MIT Press, 1984), and his
book, Adaptation and Environment was
published by Princeton University Press in
1990. His most recent book Concepts and
Methods in Evolutionary Biology
(Cambridge)
was published in 1996. During the spring of
1984 he had a visiting appointment at the
Department of History and Philosophy of
Science, University of Pittsburgh. Brandon is a member of Duke's Center for the Philosophy of Biology.
Office Location: 209 West Duke Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone: +1 919 660 3067
Fax: (919) 660-3060
Email Address: 
Education:
Ph.D., Harvard University, 1979
B.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1974
- Specialties:
-
Philosophy of Biology
Logic
- Research Interests:
- Robert N. Brandon (Ph.D. 1979, Harvard)
joined the Duke Faculty in fall of 1979. He
holds a joint appointment in Philosophy and
Biology
. He
has published articles in
Philosophy of Science, Studies in
History and
Philosophy of Science, Biology and
Philosophy, PSA 1980 and PSA
1982, some of
which have subsequently been anthologized.
He has co-edited (with Richard Burian)
Genes, Organisms, Populations:
Controversies over the Units of Selection
(Bradford Books, MIT Press, 1984), and his
book, Adaptation and Environment was
published by Princeton University Press in
1990. His most recent book Concepts and
Methods in Evolutionary Biology
(Cambridge)
was published in 1996. During the spring of
1984 he had a visiting appointment at the
Department of History and Philosophy of
Science, University of Pittsburgh. Brandon is a member of Duke's Center for the Philosophy of Biology.
- Areas of Interest:
- Philosophy of Science,
Philosophy of Biology,
Logic
- Recent Publications
(More Publications)
- McShea, DW; Wang, SC; Brandon, RN. "A quantitative formulation of biology's first law.." Evolution; international journal of organic evolution 73.6 (June, 2019): 1101-1115. [doi] [abs]
- Brandon, RN; Nijhout, HF. "The Empirical Nonequivalence of Genic and Genotypic Models of Selection: A (Decisive) Refutation of Genic Selectionism and Pluralistic Genic Selectionism." Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology: Volume I (January, Accepted, 2017): 383-404. [abs]
- Brandon, RN; Rausher, MD. "TESTING ADAPTATIONISM: A COMMENT ON ORZACK AND SOBER." Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology: Volume I (January, Accepted, 2017): 133-146. [abs]
- Brandon, RN; Carson, S. "THE INDETERMINISTIC CHARACTER OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY: NO "NO HIDDEN VARIABLES PROOF" BUT NO ROOM FOR DETERMINISM EITHER." Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology: Volume I (January, Accepted, 2017): 213-236. [abs]
- Fleming, L; Brandon, R. "Why flying dogs are rare: A general theory of luck in evolutionary transitions.." Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences 49 (February, 2015): 24-31. [doi] [abs]