Evolution, Phenotypic Selection, and the Units of Selection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10704635 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Timothy Shanahan (0000-0001-5806-7804, Loyola Marymount University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 210-225 |
| Publication date | 1990-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8248 • E-ISSN: 1539-767X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1086/289544 |
| OpenAlex | W2076716989 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 22 |
In recent years philosophers have attempted to clarify the units of selection controversy in evolutionary biology by offering conceptual analyses of the term ‘unit of selection’. A common feature of many of these analyses is an emphasis on the claim that units of selection are entities exhibiting heritable variation in fitness. In this paper I argue that the demand that units of selection be characterized in terms of heritability is unnecessary, as well as undesirable, on historical, theoretical, and philosophical grounds. I propose a positive account of the proper referent of the term ‘unit of selection’, distinguishing between the processes of evolution and phenotypic selection. The main result of this analysis is greater clarity about the conceptual structure of evolutionary theory
Biology · CLARITY · Epistemology · Evolutionary biology · Group selection · Heritability · Natural selection · Referent · Selection (genetic algorithm) · Stabilizing selection · Term (time) · Variation (astronomy) · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Evolution and Genetic Dynamics · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |