Natural Selection's Explanatory Scope

There are ongoing debates in philosophy of biology about what falls within natural selection's explanatory scope. These include debates about whether selection can explain individual‐level traits, the extent to which selection can explain distributions of trait frequencies, and whether selection can explain the origin of novel traits. Here I'll survey these debates, suggest which views seem most plausible, and describe some useful conceptual frameworks for thinking about the issues involved

Biology · Epistemology · Natural selection · Trait · Computer Science · Evolution and Genetic Dynamics · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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• The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm

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• The Nature of Selection

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• What can natural selection explain

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• Selection explanations of token traits

  Open Access•Brian Mcloone•Studies in History and Philosophy…•2013

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• The negative view of natural selection

  Open Access•Jonathan Birch•Studies in History and Philosophy…•2012

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• Population and organismal perspectives on trait origins

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  Open Access•Bence Nanay•Studies in History and Philosophy…•2010

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• Sex and Selection

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• There Is No Asymmetry of Identity Assumptions in the Debate over Selection and Individuals

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• Manipulation and the Causes of Evolution

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• Natural Selection and Contrastive Explanation

  Open Access•Joeri Witteveen•Philosophy of Science•2019

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• The Indeterministic Character of Evolutionary Theory

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• What, if Anything, Is an Evolutionary Novelty

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• Common Ancestry and Natural Selection

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• Pruning the Tree of Life

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• Is Sex Really Necessary? And Other Questions for Lewens

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• Evolution, Wisconsin Style

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