Evolutionary theories and the philosophy of science
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2021.204Abstract
Philosophical theories proceeding from the history of physical-mathematical sciences are hardly applicable to the analysis of biosciences and evolutionary theory, in particular. This article briefly reconstructs the history of evolutionary theory beginning with its roots in the 19th century and up to the ultracontemporary concepts. Our objective is to outline the dynamics of Darwinism and anti-Darwinism from the perspective of the philosophy of science. We begin with the arguments of E. Mayr against the applicability of T. Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolutions to the history of biology. Mayr emphasized that Darwin’s publication of the Origin of Species in 1859 caused a genuine scientific revolution in biology, but it was not a Kuhnian revolution. Darwin coined several theories comprising a complex theoretical system. Mayr defined five most crucial of these theories: evolution as such, common descent of all organisms including man, gradualism, the multiplication of species explaining organic diversity, and, finally, the theory of natural selection. Distinguishing these theories is of great significance because their destiny in the history of biology substantially differed. The acceptance of one theory by the majority of the scientific community does not necessarily mean the acceptance of others. Another argument by Mayr proved that Darwin caused two scientific revolutions in biology, which Mayr referred to as the First and Second Darwinian Revolutions. The Second Darwinian Revolution happened already in the 20th century and Mayr himself was its active participant. Both revolutions followed Darwin’s concept of natural selection. The period between these two revolutions can be in no way described
as “normal science” in Kuhnian terms. Our reconstruction of the history of evolutionary theory support Mayr’s anti-Kuhnian arguments. Furthermore, we claim that the “evolution of evolutionary theory” can be interpreted in terms of the modified research programmes theory by Imre Lakatos, though not in their “purity”, but rather modified and combined with certain aspects of Marxian-Hegelian dialectics.
Keywords:
biological evolution, evolutionary theory, Darwinism, Lamarckism, research programmes, dialectics
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References
Литература
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29. Gilbert, S. F. and Epel, D. (2009), Ecological Developmental Biology, Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.
30. Wimsatt, W. C. and Schank, J. C. (1988), Two Constraints on the Evolution of Complex Adaptations and the Means for Their Avoidance, in Nitecki, M. (ed.), Progress in Evolution, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, pp. 213–273.
31. McShea, D. (2005), The Evolution of Complexity Without Natural Selection, a Possible Large-Scale Trend of the Fourth Kind, Paleobiology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 146–156.
32. Cairns, J., Overbaugh, J. and Miller, S. (1988), The origin of Mutants, Nature, vol. 335, pp. 142–145.
33. Jablonka, E. and Lamb, M. (2005), Evolution in Four Dimensions, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
34. Theissen, G. (2006), The Proper Place of Hopeful Monsters in Evolutionary Biology, Theory in Biosciences, vol. 3–4, pp. 349–369.
35. Müller, G. B. (2017), Why an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis Is Necessary, Interface Focus, vol. 7, no. 5. Available at: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsfs.2017.0015 (accessed: 10.12.2020).
36. Kutschera, U. and Niklas, K. J. (2004), The Modern Theory of Biological Evolution: An Expanded Synthesis, Naturwissenschaften, vol. 91, pp. 255–276.
37. Lakatos, I. (1970), Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes, in Lakatos, I. and Musgrave, F. (eds), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge: Proceedings of the International Colloquium in the Philosophy of Science, London, 1965, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 91–196.
38. Pievani, T. (2012), An Evolving Research Programme: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory from a Lakatosian Perspective, in Fasolo, A. (ed.), The Theory of Evolution and Its Impact, Milano: Springer.
39. Mayr, E. (1942), Systematics and the Origin of Species, New York: Columbia University Press.
40. Dobzhansky, Th. (1937), Genetics and the Origin of Species, New York: Columbia University Press.
41. Pigliucci, M. (2009), An Extended Synthesis for Evolutionary Biology, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1168, pp. 218–228.
42. Fabregas-Tejeda, A. and Vergara-Silva, F. (2018), The Emerging Structure of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis: Where Does Evo‐Devo Fit In? Theory in Biosciences, vol. 137, pp. 169–184.
43. Noble, D. (2015), Evolution Beyond Neo-Darwinism, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 218, pp. 7–13.
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Published
2021-06-30
How to Cite
Levit, G. S., & Hossfeld, U. (2021). Evolutionary theories and the philosophy of science. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies, 37(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2021.204
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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
