An Approach to the Theory of Natural Selection

Philosophy ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 44 (170) ◽  
pp. 271-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Barker
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Darwinian Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Positive Argument

In this paper I want to examine a view of the Darwinian theory of evolution which was put forward fairly recently by A. R. Manser. His approach is of interest not only in itself, but also because it may be expanded to raise some fundamental questions about the nature of the science of biology in general. I shall not consider these further implications here, but shall concentrate on an examination of his thesis in the context in which it is raised. My paper falls into two sections. In the first I shall state Manser's thesis and some of the arguments with which he supports it, and shall try to show how a series of objections raised by A. G. N. Flew and K. Connolly may be answered. In the second I shall offer on my own account a positive argument to provide a possible basis for his point of view, with the aim of indicating why the theory should be of the kind he suggests, and what form the study of evolution must take.

Sociobiology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Darwinian Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Mendelian Genetics ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mental Testing

Following Darwin, biologists and social scientists have periodically been drawn to the theory of natural selection as the source of explanatory insights about human behaviour and social institutions. The combination of Mendelian genetics and Darwinian theory, which did so much to substantiate the theory of evolution in the life sciences, however, has made recurrent adoption of a biological approach to the social sciences controversial. Excesses and errors in social Darwinism, eugenics and mental testing have repeatedly exposed evolutionary approaches in the human sciences to criticism. Sociobiology is the version of Darwinism in social and behavioural science that became prominent in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Philosophical problems of sociobiology include challenges to the explanatory relevance of Darwinian theory for human behaviour and social institutions, controversies about whether natural selection operates at levels of organization above or below the individual, questions about the meaning of the nature–nurture distinction, and disputes about Darwinism’s implications for moral philosophy.

“Data for the Problem of Evolution in Man. V. On the Correlation between Duration of Life and the Number of Offspring”

1901 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 458-479
Author(s):  
M. Beeton ◽  
G. U. Yule ◽  
Karl Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
The Other ◽  
Similar Statement ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Darwinian Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Biennial Plants ◽  
Long Life ◽  
Breeding Seasons

According to the Darwinian theory of evolution the members of a community less fitted to their environment are removed by death. But this process of natural selection would not permanently modify a race, if the members thus removed were able before death to propagate their species in average numbers. It then becomes an important question to ascertain how far duration of life is related to fertility. In the case of many insects death can interfere only with their single chance of offspring; they live or not for their one breeding season only. A similar statement holds good with regard to annual and biennial plants. In such cases there might still be a correlation between duration of life and fertility, but it would be of the indirect character, which we actually find in the case of men and women living beyond sixty years of age—a long life means better physique and better physique increased fertility. On the other hand, there is a direct correlation of fertility and duration of life in the case of those animals which generally survive a number of breeding seasons, and it is this correlation which we had at first in view when investigating the influence of duration of life on fertility in man. The discovery of the indirect factor in the correlation referred to above was therefore a point of much interest. For it seems to show that the physique fittest to survive is really the physique which is in itself (and independently of the duration of life) most fecund.

scholarly journals Data for the problem of evolution in man. V. On the correlation between duration of life and the number of offspring

1901 ◽  
Vol 67 (435-441) ◽  
pp. 159-179 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Similar Statement ◽  
Darwinian Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Biennial Plants

According to the Darwinian theory of evolution the members of a community less fitted^ to their environment are removed by death. But this process of natural selection would not permanently modify a race, if the members thus removed were able before death to propagate their species in average numbers. It then becomes an important question to ascertain how far duration of life is related to fertility. In the case of many insects death can interfere only with their single chance of offspring they live or not for their one breeding season only. A similar statement holds good with regard to annual and biennial plants.

scholarly journals Evolution of adaptive phenotypic variation patterns by direct selection for evolvability

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1713) ◽  
pp. 1903-1912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Pavlicev ◽  
James M. Cheverud ◽  
Günter P. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Gene Interaction ◽  
Directional Selection ◽  
Direct Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Darwinian Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution

A basic assumption of the Darwinian theory of evolution is that heritable variation arises randomly. In this context, randomness means that mutations arise irrespective of the current adaptive needs imposed by the environment. It is broadly accepted, however, that phenotypic variation is not uniformly distributed among phenotypic traits, some traits tend to covary, while others vary independently, and again others barely vary at all. Furthermore, it is well established that patterns of trait variation differ among species. Specifically, traits that serve different functions tend to be less correlated, as for instance forelimbs and hind limbs in bats and humans, compared with the limbs of quadrupedal mammals. Recently, a novel class of genetic elements has been identified in mouse gene-mapping studies that modify correlations among quantitative traits. These loci are called relationship loci, or relationship Quantitative Trait Loci (rQTL), and affect trait correlations by changing the expression of the existing genetic variation through gene interaction. Here, we present a population genetic model of how natural selection acts on rQTL. Contrary to the usual neo-Darwinian theory, in this model, new heritable phenotypic variation is produced along the selected dimension in response to directional selection. The results predict that selection on rQTL leads to higher correlations among traits that are simultaneously under directional selection. On the other hand, traits that are not simultaneously under directional selection are predicted to evolve lower correlations. These results and the previously demonstrated existence of rQTL variation, show a mechanism by which natural selection can directly enhance the evolvability of complex organisms along lines of adaptive change.

Darwin’s Impact on the Medical Sciences

2019 ◽  
pp. 171-186
Author(s):  
Fabio Zampieri
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Darwinian Revolution ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Organic Evolution ◽  
Medical Issues ◽  
Nineteenth Century Medicine ◽  
The Impact

In early nineteenth century medicine, the concepts of organic evolution and natural selection emerged in different contexts, partly anticipating Darwinian revolution. In particular, the anatomical concept of disease favored the perception that men and animals were very similar from a morphological, physiological and pathological point of view, and that this could indicate a certain degree of kinship between them. The debate around human races and human pathological heredity saw first formulations of the principle of natural selection, even if without a full appraisal of its evolutionary implications. Charles Darwin took many inspirations from these medical theories. The impact of the theory of evolution formulated by him in 1859 was only apparently slight in medicine. It is even possible to support that evolutionary concepts contributed in a significant way to the most important medical issues, debates and new discipline in the period between 1880 and 1940.

scholarly journals Who's afraid of epigenetics? Habits, instincts, and Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Portera ◽  
Mauro Mandrioli
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Intellectual Life ◽  
Entire Life ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Expression Of Genes

AbstractOur paper aims at bringing to the fore the crucial role that habits play in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection. We have organized the paper in two steps: first, we analyse value and functions of the concept of habit in Darwin's early works, notably in his Notebooks, and compare these views to his mature understanding of the concept in the Origin of Species and later works; second, we discuss Darwin’s ideas on habits in the light of today’s theories of epigenetic inheritance, which describe the way in which the functioning and expression of genes is modified by the environment, and how these modifications are transmitted over generations. We argue that Darwin’s lasting and multifaceted interest in the notion of habit, throughout his intellectual life, is both conceptually and methodologically relevant. From a conceptual point of view, intriguing similarities can be found between Darwin’s (early) conception of habit and contemporary views on epigenetic inheritance. From a methodological point of view, we suggest that Darwin’s plastic approach to habits, from his early writings up to the mature works, can provide today’s evolutionary scientists with a viable methodological model to address the challenging task of extending and expanding evolutionary theory, with particular reference to the integration of epigenetic mechanisms into existing models of evolutionary change. Over his entire life Darwin has modified and reassessed his views on habits as many times as required by evidence: his work on this notion may represent the paradigm of a habit of good scientific research methodology.

Darwinian Evolutionary Theory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Ruse
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Middle Class ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Origin Of Species ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Descent Of Man

Charles Robert Darwin, the English naturalist, published On the Origin of Species in 1859 and the follow-up work The Descent of Man in 1871. In these works, he argued for his theory of evolution through natural selection, applying it to all organisms, living and dead, including our own species, Homo sapiens. Although controversial from the start, Darwin’s thinking was deeply embedded in the culture of his day, that of a middle-class Englishman. Evolution as such was an immediate success in scientific circles, but although the mechanism of selection had supporters in the scientific community (especially among those working with fast-breeding organisms), its real success was in the popular domain. Natural selection, and particularly the side mechanism of sexual selection, were known to all and popular themes in fiction and elsewhere.

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