On Biological Function

A Critical Examination of Eliminativism

Abstract

Eliminativism is a peripheral (if not dead) position in the current biological function debate, and it is roughly presented as the thesis that function terms are eliminable in biological discourse. While eliminativism is often assumed inadequate, a detailed examination of eliminativism is lacking in current literature. Accordingly, this article provides a critical examination of eliminativism. This examination consists of three parts: a clarification of three supporting arguments for eliminativism (based on historical literature), a unified account of eliminativism (inspired in particular by Larry Wright 1976), and a discussion of its validity and some of its implications. This article concludes by briefly addressing the persistent presence of function terms in biological discourse.