What is Drift? A Response to Millstein, Skipper, and Dietrich
Philosophy and Theory in Biology 2 (2010)
| Abstract | The statistical interpretation of the Theory of Natural Selection claims that natural selection and drift are statistical features of mathematical aggregates of individual-level events. Natural selection and drift are not themselves causes. The statistical interpretation is motivated by a metaphysical conception of individual priority. Recently, Millstein, Skipper, and Dietrich (2009) have argued (a) that natural selection and drift are physical processes, and (b) that the statistical interpretation rests on a misconception of the role of mathematics in biology. Both theses are contested. | |||||||||
| Keywords | genetic drift natural selection population genetics | |||||||||
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