Proper function and recent selection
Philosophy of Science 66 (3):222 (1999)
| Abstract | "Modern History" versions of the etiological theory claim that in order for a trait X to have the proper function F, individuals with X must have been recently favored by natural selection for doing F (Godfrey-Smith 1994; Griffiths 1992, 1993). For many traits with prototypical proper functions, however, such recent selection may not have occurred: traits may have been maintained due to lack of variation or due to selection for other effects. I examine this flaw in Modern History accounts and offer an alternative etiological theory, the Continuing Usefulness account, which appears to avoid such problems | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,711 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesTimothy Shanahan (1990). Evolution, Phenotypic Selection, and the Units of Selection. Philosophy of Science 57 (2):210-225.
Robert Arp (2007). Evolution and Two Popular Proposals for the Definition of Function. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 38 (1):19 - 30.
Karen Neander (1991). Functions as Selected Effects: The Conceptual Analyst's Defense. Philosophy of Science 58 (2):168-184.
Michael Bertrand (2011). PROPER ENVIRONMENT AND THE SEP ACCOUNT OF BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION. Synethese 190 (9):1503-1517.
Paul E. Griffiths (1993). Functional Analysis and Proper Functions. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 44 (3):409-422.
Richard N. Manning (1997). Biological Function, Selection, and Reduction. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 48 (1):69-82.
Justine Kingsbury (2008). Learning and Selection. Biology and Philosophy 23 (4):493-507.
Beth Preston (2009). Biological and Cultural Proper Functions in Comparative Perspective. In Ulrich Krohs & Peter Kroes (eds.), Functions in Biological and Artificial Worlds: Comparative Philosophical Perspectives. Mit Press.
Peter Godfrey-Smith (1994). A Modern History Theory of Functions. Noûs 28 (3):344-362.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads16 ( #74,784 of 551,054 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,425 of 551,054 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
