Evolutionary Epistemology, Social Epistemology, and the Demic Structure of Science

One of the principal difficulties in assessing Science as aProcess (Hull 1988) is determining the relationship between the various elements of Hull's theory. In particular, it is hard to understand precisely how conceptual selection is related to Hull's account of the social dynamics of science. This essay aims to clarify the relation between these aspects of his theory by examining his discussion of the``demic structure' of science. I conclude that the social account cando significant explanatory work independently of the selectionistaccount. Further, I maintain that Hull's treatment of the demicstructure of science points us toward an important set of issues insocial epistemology. If my reading of Science as a Process iscorrect, then most of Hull's critics (e.g., those who focus solelyon his account of conceptual selection) have ignored promisingaspects of his theory.     

Stone Tools: Theoretical Insights into Human Prehistory

Stone Tools: Theoretical Insights into Human Prehistory. George H. Odell. ed. New York: Plenum Press, 1996.401 pp.     

Desert Truffles of the Australian Outback: Ecology,Ethnomycology, and Taxonomy

Desert Truffles of the Australian Outback: Ecology, Ethnomycology, and Taxonomy. The Aborigines of central Australia have traditionally used desert truffles as food. Truffle hunting in the desert requires substantial ecological knowledge, as truffles occur sporadically and only with adequate and properly distributed rainfall as well as the presence of necessary soil conditions and mycorrhizal hosts. Truffles are hunted primarily by women, who look for cracks or humps in the soil caused by expansion of the truffles, which are then extracted with digging sticks. The truffles are typically eaten raw or baked or roasted in ashes. Seven truffle species are recorded from the Australian Outback, including three that have been only recently described.     

Mummies and Mortuary Monuments: A Postprocessual Prehistory of Central Andean Social Organization

Mummies and Mortuary Monuments:. Postprocessual Prehistory of Central Andean Social Organization. William H. Isbell. University of Texas Press, 1997. 372 pp.     

Political Ecology across Spaces, Scales, and Social Groups

Political Ecology across Spaces, Scales, and Social Groups. Susan Paulson and Lisa Gezon, eds. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. 289 pp.