First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Years ago, prompted by Grize, Apostel and Papert, we undertook the study of functions, but until now we did not properly understand the relations between functions and operations, and their increasing interactions at the level of 'constituted functions'. By contrast, certain recent studies on 'constitutive functions', or preoperatory functional schemes, have convinced us of the existence of a sort of logic of functions (springing from the schemes of actions) which is prior to the logic of operations (drawn from the general and reversible coordinations between actions). This preoperatory 'logic' accounts for the very general, and until now unexplained, primacy of order relations between 4 and 7 years of age, which is natural since functions are ordered dependences and result from oriented 'applications'. And while this 'logic' ends up in a positive manner in formalizable structures, it has gaps or limitations. Psychologically, we are interested in understanding the systemƯ atic errors due to this primacy of order, such ·as the undifferentiation of 'longer' and 'farther', or the non-conservations caused by ordinal estimations (of levels, etc.), as opposed to extensive or metric evaluations. In a sense which is psychologically very real, this preoperatory logic of constitutive functions represents only the first half of operatory logic, if this can be said, and it is reversibility which allows the construction of the other half by completing the initial one-way structures.

Cognitive Development and Epistemology is a collection of papers delivered at a conference attended by psychologists and philosophers to explore broad issues relating to the conceptual framework needed for the explanation of human actions. The meeting is held at the State University of New York at Binghamton in September 1969. The compendium is divided into three sections. Part I deals with the relevance which the genetic study of concept development may have for the analysis of concepts. This sets the framework for subsequent discussion. The second part examines some of the specific issues in intellectual, moral, and emotional development with which a theory of cognitive development must deal. The last part seeks to assess the adequacy and relevance of this genetic developmental approach for an understanding of adult cognitive behavior. Philosophers and psychologists in the field of cognitive development and epistemology will find the text insightful.

These essays examine the developments in three fundamental biological disciplines--embryology, evolutionary biology, and genetics. These disciplines were in conflict for much of the 20th century and the essays in this collection examine key methodological problems within these disciplines and the difficulties faced in overcoming the conflicts between them. Burian skillfully weaves together historical appreciation of the settings within which scientists work, substantial knowledge of the biological problems at stake and the methodological and philosophical issues faced in integrating biological knowledge drawn from disparate sources.

This volume analyses the scientific work and social implications of the flourishing field of genetic history. The author examines genetic history's working assumptions about culture and nature, identity and biology, and the individual and the collective.