The Rise Of Chance In Evolutionary Theory

Author : Charles H. Pence
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021-11-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780323912921

Get Book

The Rise of Chance in Evolutionary Theory by Charles H. Pence Pdf

The Rise of Chance in Evolutionary Theory: A Pompous Parade of Arithmetic explores a pivotal conceptual moment in the history of evolutionary theory: the development of its extensive reliance on a wide array of concepts of chance. It tells the history of a methodological and conceptual development that reshaped our approach to natural selection over a century, ranging from Darwin’s earliest notebooks in the 1830s to the early years of the Modern Synthesis in the 1930s. Far from being a “pompous parade of arithmetic, as one early critic argued, evolution transformed during this period to make these conceptual and technical tools indispensable. This book charts the role of chance in evolutionary theory from its beginnings to the earliest days of modern evolutionary theory, making it an ideal resource for evolutionary biologists, historians, philosophers, and researchers in science studies or biological statistics. Analyzes contributions of key historical figures and assesses how and why these “foundational conclusions were reached by original evolutionary biologists, including Darwin, Galton, Pearson, and more Describes the journey of the role of chance in evolutionary theory and illuminates our contemporary understanding Presents the historical narrative in a non-technical way, focusing on the conceptual structure of evolutionary theory

Author : Grant Ramsey,Charles H. Pence
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226401911

Get Book

Chance in Evolution by Grant Ramsey,Charles H. Pence Pdf

This illuminating volume explores the effects of chance on evolution, covering diverse perspectives from scientists, philosophers, and historians. The evolution of species, from single-celled organisms to multicellular animals and plants, is the result of a long and highly chancy history. But how profoundly has chance shaped life on earth? And what, precisely, do we mean by chance? Bringing together biologists, philosophers of science, and historians of science, Chance in Evolution is the first book to untangle the far-reaching effects of chance, contingency, and randomness on the evolution of life. The book begins by placing chance in historical context, starting with the ancients and moving through Darwin to contemporary biology. It documents the shifts in our understanding of chance as Darwin’s theory of evolution developed into the modern synthesis, and how the acceptance of chance in Darwinian theory affected theological resistance to it. Other chapters discuss how chance relates to the concepts of genetic drift, mutation, and parallel evolution—as well as recent work in paleobiology and the experimental evolution of microbes. By engaging in collaboration across biology, history, philosophy, and theology, this book offers a comprehensive overview both of the history of chance in evolution and of our current understanding of the impact of chance on life.

Author : Curtis N. Johnson
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780199361410

Get Book

Darwin's Dice by Curtis N. Johnson Pdf

"Discusses the chance and randomness as motifs in the writing of Charles Darwin" --publisher

Author : Lee M. Spetner
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Creation
ISBN : 1880582244

Get Book

Not by Chance! by Lee M. Spetner Pdf

The author criticies neo-Darwinism and suggests replacing it with "the nonrandom evolutionary hypothesis (NREH)"--p. 209.

Author : Marsh Hopkins
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2019-08-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781000020403

Get Book

Chance and Error by Marsh Hopkins Pdf

Originally published in 1923 Chance and Error examines the vagaries of chance, and how this is the result of the interference of yes and no. The book basis its examination of chance on the idea of a two-sided coin. The book stipulates that contradictories are head and tail, or yes and no. When the coin is flipped in the air yes normally wins half of the trials, but this includes half of the half that normally go to no. Thus, normally in one quarter of the trials there is an interference of yes and no. From this the chance of any number of heads or tails can be easily calculated, and all results that are attained by more difficult mathematics are secured. The book uses this idea to examine interference of yes and no in everyday life and argues that this causes the variations in everything that goes on around us in nature and in our daily life. This book will be of interest to philosophers of logic, as well as mathematicians.

Author : David J. Depew,Bruce H. Weber
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 588 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:472759297

Get Book

Darwinism Evolving by David J. Depew,Bruce H. Weber Pdf

Author : Robert G. B. Reid
Publisher : Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Science
ISBN : MINN:319510001961066

Get Book

Evolutionary Theory by Robert G. B. Reid Pdf

Author : Bradford McCall
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 123 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2022-02-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781725283855

Get Book

The God of Chance and Purpose by Bradford McCall Pdf

This brief title will pursue a triangulation of chance, divine involvement, and theology through a fundamentally Peircean lens--at least epistemologically and semiotically. The argument proceeds over five distinct chapters, and a conclusion that constitutes a sixth chapter. In Part I, I discuss the Modern Synthetic theory in evolutionary biology. In particular, I refer to what I have labeled the secular evolutionary worldview (SEW). Also in Part I, I dismiss the French physicist Pierre-Simon de Laplace's claim that a sufficiently informed intelligence could forecast everything that is going to happen in the whole universe--and, working backwards, tell you everything that did happen, not by direct citation and rebuke, but rather by implicit argumentation and demonstration of the God of Chance. In Part II of this book, I explore the God of chance and purpose, with theological assists provided by Philip Clayton and Alister McGrath over two chapters. So then, we live in a world of both chance and purpose. One may even go so far as to state that this world is designed for both chance and purpose.

Author : Marshall Abrams
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2023-07-11
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226826622

Get Book

Evolution and the Machinery of Chance by Marshall Abrams Pdf

An innovative view of the role of fitness concepts in evolutionary theory. Natural selection is one of the factors responsible for changes in biological populations. Some traits or organisms are fitter than others, and natural selection occurs when there are changes in the distribution of traits in populations because of fitness differences. Many philosophers of biology insist that a trait’s fitness should be defined as an average of the fitnesses of individual members of the population that have the trait. Marshall Abrams argues convincingly against this widespread approach. As he shows, it conflicts with the roles that fitness is supposed to play in evolutionary theory and with the ways that evolutionary biologists use fitness concepts in empirical research. The assumption that a causal kind of fitness is fundamentally a property of actual individuals has resulted in unnecessary philosophical puzzles and years of debate. Abrams came to see that the fitnesses of traits that are the basis of natural selection cannot be defined in terms of the fitnesses of actual members of populations, as philosophers of biology often claim. Rather, it is an overall population-environment system—not actual, particular organisms living in particular environmental conditions—that is the basis of trait fitnesses. Abrams argues that by distinguishing different classes of fitness concepts and the roles they play in the practice of evolutionary biology, we can see that evolutionary biologists’ diverse uses of fitness concepts make sense together and are consistent with the idea that fitness differences cause evolution. Abrams’s insight has broad significance, for it provides a general framework for thinking about the metaphysics of biological evolution and its relations to empirical research. As such, it is a game-changing book for philosophers of biology, biologists who want deeper insight into the nature of evolution, and anyone interested in the applied philosophy of probability.

Author : Kristin Cook,Alandeom W. Oliveira
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2019-09-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781793601490

Get Book

Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil by Kristin Cook,Alandeom W. Oliveira Pdf

Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil examines how larger societal forces such as religion, media, and politics have shaped Brazil’s educational landscape and impacted the teaching and learning of evolution within an increasingly polarized discourse in recent years. To this end, Alandeom W. Oliveira and Kristin Cook have assembled a number of educational scholars and practitioners, many of whom are based in Brazil, to provide up-close and in-depth accounts of classroom-based evolution instruction, teacher preparation programs, current educational policies, and commonly used school curricula. Contributors also present information on Brazilian teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward—and understanding of— evolution, emergent (mis)conceptions of evolution, and international comparisons of evolution acceptance and understanding in Brazil compared to other countries. Across the three sections of this book, readers see a nation navigating the complexity of multiple spheres of thought about evolution and its role in the K-12 and postsecondary curriculum. Suggesting the rise of an influential creationist movement in Brazil, this book illuminates the dynamic sociological processes at play in the educational sphere of Latin America in a globalized era that allows for rapid worldwide travel of competing ideologies. Scholars of Latin American studies, religion, education, sociology, and political science will find this book especially useful.

Author : Michael Denton
Publisher : Adler & Adler Publishers
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015010609652

Get Book

Evolution by Michael Denton Pdf

Examines evidence which is threatening the basic assumptions of Darwinism.

Author : Elliott Sober
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 397 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014-12-10
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226308883

Get Book

The Nature of Selection by Elliott Sober Pdf

The Nature of Selection is a straightforward, self-contained introduction to philosophical and biological problems in evolutionary theory. It presents a powerful analysis of the evolutionary concepts of natural selection, fitness, and adaptation and clarifies controversial issues concerning altruism, group selection, and the idea that organisms are survival machines built for the good of the genes that inhabit them. "Sober's is the answering philosophical voice, the voice of a first-rate philosopher and a knowledgeable student of contemporary evolutionary theory. His book merits broad attention among both communities. It should also inspire others to continue the conversation."-Philip Kitcher, Nature "Elliott Sober has made extraordinarily important contributions to our understanding of biological problems in evolutionary biology and causality. The Nature of Selection is a major contribution to understanding epistemological problems in evolutionary theory. I predict that it will have a long lasting place in the literature."-Richard C. Lewontin

Author : Vilmos Csányi
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Science
ISBN : 0822308363

Get Book

Evolutionary Systems and Society by Vilmos Csányi Pdf

This work is a bold new effort to embrace all aspects of life--molecular, cellular, behavioral, and cultural--within the formulation of a general theory of evolution that extends classical Darwinian theory to include human society.

Author : Bernard Campbell
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-07-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781351491112

Get Book

Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man by Bernard Campbell Pdf

Just over one hundred and thirty years ago Charles Darwin, in The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), developed remarkably accurate conclusions about man's ancestry, based on a review of general comparative anatomy and psychology in which he regarded sexual selection as a necessary part of the evolutionary process. But the attention of biologists turned to the more general concept of natural selection, in which sexual selection plays a complex role that has been little understood. This volume significantly broadens the scope of modern evolutionary biology by looking at this important and long neglected concept of great importance. In this book, which is the first full discussion of sexual selection since 1871, leading biologists bring modern genetic theory and behavior observation to bear on the subject. The distinguished authors consider many aspects of sexual selection in many species, including man, within the context of contemporary evolutionary theory and research. The result is a remarkably original and well-rounded view of the whole concept that will be invaluable especially to students of evolution and human sexual behavior. The lucid authority of the contributors and the importance of the topic will interest all who share in man's perennial fascination with his own history. The book will be of central importance to a wide variety of professionals, including biologists, anthropologists, and geneticists. It will be an invaluable supplementary text for courses in vertebrate biology, theory of evolution, genetics, and physical anthropology. It is especially important with the emergence of alternative explanations of human development, under the rubric of creationism and doctrines of intelligent design.

Author : Samuel Butler
Publisher : Good Press
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2019-12-19
Category : Fiction
ISBN : EAN:4064066137694

Get Book

Luck, or Cunning, as the Main Means of Organic Modification by Samuel Butler Pdf

In this book, the author, Samuel Butler, presents a simplified view of evolutionary theory as a contrast between the idea of intelligent design and the concept of random variation through natural selection. He portrays Darwin, Spencer and Romanes as advocates for luck and Erasmus Darwin, Buffon and himself as proponents of cunning as they believed in the existence of design and purpose in the universe.