The varieties od Darwinism

Explanation, logic, and worldview

verfasst von: Hugh Desmond, André Ariew, Philippe Huneman, Thomas Reydon
Abstract: Ever since its inception, the theory of evolution has been reified into an “-ism”: Darwinism. Although biologists today, by and large, do not use the term “Darwinism” in their research, it still enjoys currency in broader academic and societal contexts. “Darwinian approaches” proliferate across the sciences and humanities and, in public discourse, various so-called “Darwinian views on life” are perceived to have ethically and politically laden consequences. What exactly is Darwinism, and how precisely are its non-scientific uses related to the scientific theory of evolution? Some claim the term’s meaning should be limited to scientific content, yet others call for its abolition altogether. In this paper, we propose a unified account of these varieties of Darwinism. We show how the theories introduced by Darwin have grounded a “logic” or style of reasoning about phenomena, as well as various ethically and politically charged “worldviews.” The full meaning of Darwinism, as well as how this meaning has changed over time, can only be understood through the complex interaction between these dimensions.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Philosophie
Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences
Externe Organisation(en): Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen)
University of Missouri
Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Quarterly Review of Biology
Band: 99
Seiten: 77-98
Anzahl der Seiten: 22
ISSN: 0033-5770
Publikationsdatum: 06.2024
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Allgemeine Agrar- und Biowissenschaften
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.1086/730667 (Zugang: Geschlossen)
https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/22097/ (Zugang: Unbekannt)

BibTeX

@article{facddcba548f48f797fe486deea42ffa,
title = "The varieties od Darwinism: Explanation, logic, and worldview",
abstract = "Ever since its inception, the theory of evolution has been reified into an “-ism”: Darwinism. Although biologists today, by and large, do not use the term “Darwinism” in their research, it still enjoys currency in broader academic and societal contexts. “Darwinian approaches” proliferate across the sciences and humanities and, in public discourse, various so-called “Darwinian views on life” are perceived to have ethically and politically laden consequences. What exactly is Darwinism, and how precisely are its non-scientific uses related to the scientific theory of evolution? Some claim the term{\textquoteright}s meaning should be limited to scientific content, yet others call for its abolition altogether. In this paper, we propose a unified account of these varieties of Darwinism. We show how the theories introduced by Darwin have grounded a “logic” or style of reasoning about phenomena, as well as various ethically and politically charged “worldviews.” The full meaning of Darwinism, as well as how this meaning has changed over time, can only be understood through the complex interaction between these dimensions.",
keywords = "Darwinism, natural selection, science communication, Tree of Life hypothesis, values in science",
author = "Hugh Desmond and Andr{\'e} Ariew and Philippe Huneman and Thomas Reydon",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.",
year = "2024",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1086/730667",
language = "English",
volume = "99",
pages = "77--98",
journal = "Quarterly Review of Biology",
issn = "0033-5770",
publisher = "University of Chicago",
number = "2",
}