The Darwinian View of Progress
Comment on Sen
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4121303 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Abhijit Guha (0000-0002-9605-2993, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 861 |
| Publication date | 1994-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Population and Development Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0098-7921 • E-ISSN: 1728-4457 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2137665 |
| OpenAlex | W2328168430 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
IN THE MARCH 1993 ISSUE of this journal, Amartya Sen offered a critical review of the Darwinian idea of progress and its relevance to the contemporary world. The major argument he advanced is based on a selective reading of Darwin that omits pivotal concepts of the theory of natural selection. Sen fails to consider two major concepts of Darwinian theory -prodigality of reproduction and transmission of variation. Elaboration of these two concepts would have undercut Sen's central argument that Darwin's species-oriented perspective, which purportedly champions only the successful species' ability to outnumber and outlive competing groups (Sen 1993: 125), is in opposition to modern environmental conservation. I would argue that if one considers prodigality and variation, then there is no inherent contradiction between Darwinism and environmental conservation
Darwinism · Economics · Epistemology · Neoclassical economics · Positive economics · Evolution and Science Education · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |