Abstract The making of mistakes by organisms and other living systems is a theoretically and empirically unifying feature of biological investigation. Mistake theory is a rigorous and experimentally productive way of understanding this widespread phenomenon. It does, however, run up against the long-standing ‘functions’ debate in philosophy of biology. Against the objection that mistakes are just a kind of malfunction, and that without a position on functions there can be no theory of mistakes, we reply that this is to misunderstand the theory. In this paper we set out the basic concepts of mistake theory and then argue that mistakes are a distinctive phenomenon in their own right, not just a kind of malfunction.

David S. Oderberg

Jonathan Hill

Christopher Austin

Ingo Bojak

François Cinotti

Jonathan M. Gibbins

Philosophy of Science

自 1934 年成立以来，科学哲学及其赞助社会科学哲学协会一直致力于从科学哲学的不同角度推进研究和自由讨论。该杂志包含散文、讨论文章和书评。

Since its establishment in 1934, the journal "Philosophy of Science" and its sponsoring society for the philosophy of social science have been dedicated to advancing research and free discussion from various perspectives of the philosophy of science. The journal includes essays, discussion articles, and book reviews.

自 1934 年成立以来，《Philosophy of Science》及其赞助的社会科学哲学协会一直致力于从科学哲学的不同角度推动研究和自由讨论。该杂志包含散文、讨论文章和书评。

Category	Quartile
哲学	2
哲学, 科学史与科学哲学	2

Biological Mistake Theory and the Question of Function

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE	1