Abstract
‘Natural selection’ is, it seems, an ambiguous term. It is sometimes held to denote a consequence of variation, heredity, and environment, while at other times as denoting a force that creates adaptations. I argue that the latter, the force interpretation, is a redundant notion of natural selection. I will point to difficulties in making sense of this linguistic practise, and argue that it is frequently at odds with standard interpretations of evolutionary theory. I provide examples to show this; one example involving the relation between adaptations and other traits, and a second involving the relation between selection and drift.
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Sören Häggqvist, Paul Needham, Kim Sterelny, and an anonymous referee for helpful comment and criticism.
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Brunnander, B. What is natural selection?. Biol Philos 22, 231–246 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-005-9008-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-005-9008-4