Species: A History of the Idea. John S. Wilkins.

Abstract

A complete history of the biological use of the term “species” is badly needed, and this is the ambitious task John S. Wilkins undertakes in Species. Wilkins, a philosopher of biology, is chiefly concerned with the philosophical underpinnings of the term, and deals less fully with biological issues that might concern readers of this journal.Wilkins is a fairly recent phenomenon in the philosophy of evolutionary biology, having published first in the field about 10 years ago. He obtained his PhD (University of Melbourne) as a mature student only in 2004, after “a varied career, involving factories, gardening, civil service, publishing, graphics, and public relations” (from his blog, Evolving Thoughts). Until recently, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney, but has just obtained a permanent post as associate professor at Bond University, on the idyllic-sounding Gold Coast (near Brisbane, Australia). In spite of the brevity of his career, he is prolific, having published two books, with another in press. He also has a number of papers in high-profile journals. We are told in the author biographical information in Species that his blog, Evolving Thoughts is “highly regarded.”