The Pomp of Superfluous Causes: The Interpretation of Evolutionary Theory.

There are two competing interpretations of the modern synthesis theory of evolution: the dynamical (also know as 'traditional') and the statistical. The dynamical interpretation maintains that explanations offered under the auspices of the modern synthesis theory articulate the causes of evolution....

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Publicado en:Philosophy of Science Vol. 74; no. 3; pp. 281 - 304
Autor principal: Walsh, D. M.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press Jul2007
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        au: Walsh, D. M.
        affil: IHPST/Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, 91 Charles Street West, Toronto, ON, CANADA M5S 1K7
      su:
        Evolution & philosophy
        Population statistics
        Natural selection
        Population dynamics
        Entropy
        Statistical sampling
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          Evolution & philosophy
          Population statistics
          Natural selection
          Population dynamics
          Entropy
          Statistical sampling
      ab: There are two competing interpretations of the modern synthesis theory of evolution: the dynamical (also know as 'traditional') and the statistical. The dynamical interpretation maintains that explanations offered under the auspices of the modern synthesis theory articulate the causes of evolution. It interprets selection and drift as causes of population change. The statistical interpretation holds that modern synthesis explanations merely cite the statistical structure of populations. This paper offers a defense of statisticalism. It argues that a change in trait frequencies in a population can be attributed only to selection or drift against the background of a particular statistical description of the population. The traditionalist supposition that selection and drift are description-independent causes of population change leads the dynamical interpretation into a dilemma: it must face a contradiction or accept the loss of explanatory power.
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    language: English
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