A general account of selection: Biology, immunology, and behavior

Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):511-528 (2001)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Authors frequently refer to gene-based selection in biological evolution, the reaction of the immune system to antigens, and operant learning as exemplifying selection processes in the same sense of this term. However, as obvious as this claim may seem on the surface, setting out an account of “selection” that is general enough to incorporate all three of these processes without becoming so general as to be vacuous is far from easy. In this target article, we set out such a general account of selection to see how well it accommodates these very different sorts of selection. The three fundamental elements of this account are replication, variation, and environmental interaction. For selection to occur, these three processes must be related in a very specific way. In particular, replication must alternate with environmental interaction so that any changes that occur in replication are passed on differentially because of environmental interaction. One of the main differences among the three sorts of selection that we investigate concerns the role of organisms. In traditional biological evolution, organisms play a central role with respect to environmental interaction. Although environmental interaction can occur at other levels of the organizational hierarchy, organisms are the primary focus of environmental interaction. In the functioning of the immune system, organisms function as containers. The interactions that result in selection of antibodies during a lifetime are between entities (antibodies and antigens) contained within the organism. Resulting changes in the immune system of one organism are not passed on to later organisms. Nor are changes in operant behavior resulting from behavioral selection passed on to later organisms. But operant behavior is not contained in the organism because most of the interactions that lead to differential replication include parts of the world outside the organism. Changes in the organism's nervous system are the effects of those interactions. The role of genes also varies in these three systems. Biological evolution is gene-based (i.e., genes are the primary replicators). Genes play very different roles in operant behavior and the immune system. However, in all three systems, iteration is central. All three selection processes are also incredibly wasteful and inefficient. They can generate complexity and novelty primarily because they are so wasteful and inefficient. Key Words: evolution; immunology; interaction; operant behavior; operant learning; replication; selection; variation.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Selection as a cause versus the causes of selection.A. Charles Catania - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):533-533.
Multiply concurrent replication.David L. Hull & Sigrid S. Glenn - 2004 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 27 (6):902-904.
Is operant selectionism coherent?François Tonneau & Michel B. C. Sokolowski - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):558-559.
Selection in operant learning may fit a general model.Julian C. Leslie - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):542-543.
On the origins of complexity.Bruce E. Hesse & Gary Novak - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):540-541.
Selection: Information and replication of the operant.Ralph Spiga - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):556-557.
Replication without replicators.Bence Nanay - 2011 - Synthese 179 (3):455-477.
At last: Serious consideration.David L. Hull, Rodney E. Langman & Sigrid S. Glenn - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24 (3):559-569.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
104 (#154,461)

6 months
4 (#315,466)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

The Pleasure of Art.Mohan Matthen - 2017 - Australasian Philosophical Review 1 (1):6-28.
A Generalized Selected Effects Theory of Function.Justin Garson - 2017 - Philosophy of Science 84 (3):523-543.
How to Be a Function Pluralist.Justin Garson - 2018 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 69 (4):1101-1122.

View all 67 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references