The varieties od Darwinism

Explanation, logic, and worldview

authored by: 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.
Organisation(s): Institute of Philosophy
Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences
External Organisation(s): University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
University of Missouri
Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
Type: Article
Journal: Quarterly Review of Biology
Volume: 99
Pages: 77-98
No. of pages: 22
ISSN: 0033-5770
Publication date: 06.2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1086/730667 (Access: Closed)
https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/22097/ (Access: Unknown)

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",
}