In this important new collection, six internationally famous contributors--Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit, Henry Harris, Michael Ruse, Terence Cave, and Anthony D. Smith--discuss identity from the viewpoints of their various disciplines. Identity is a matter of personal and practical as well as intellectual interest, and perhaps for this reason academic debate on this subject attracts attention and stimulates controversy outside the ranks of the specialists. This volume offers a comparison and cross-fertilization of insights and theories from outside and within philosophy, shedding light on...

This vivid book tells a story that spans three centuries and crosses many national boundaries-a story of scientific discovery that fundamentally changed the way we understand the basis of life. Henry Harris, one of the world's leading cell biologists, here provides a strikingly original account of how scientists came to understand that the bodies of all living things are composed of microscopic units that we now call cells. Harris turns to the primary literature-the original texts, scientific papers, and correspondence of medical researchers involved in the formulation of the cell doctrine-to...