Structural Realism in Biology

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to give a brief walkthrough of structural realism in Biology. We particularly aim to present the discussion regarding the role of this form of realism in evolutionary biology. We begin by laying out the main motivations to accept the Structural realism thesis. The original structural realist thesis has an emphasis on mathematical equations, which are not usually found in evolutionary biology. To tackle this, we present French’s proposal to adjust structural realism for evolutionary biology. We then introduce some of the main arguments that have been put forward against the position and briefly review some responses. Finally, we mention some general problems that structural realism needs to address in order to become a viable proposal.