Abstract
The evolution of sexual reproduction is a striking case of explanatory pluralism, meaning that one needs to refer to more than one explanation in order to adequately account for it. I develop the concept a domain of phenomena in order to analysis this pluralism. Pluralism exists when a phenomenon can be included in more that one homogeneous domain or in a heterogeneous domain. I argue that in some cases domain partitioning can be used to decrease pluralism, but that in the case of sex domains are overlapping and interconnecting, or in other words bear an orthogonal relationship to one another, and hence cannot be partitioned in such a way as to eliminate pluralism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allchin, D.: 1997, ‘A Twentieth-century Phlogiston: Constructing Error and Differentiating Domains’, Perspectives on Science 5, 181–127.
Antonovics, J. andEllstrand, N.: 1984, ‘Experimental Studies of the Evolutionary Significance of Sexual Reproduction. I. A Test of the Frequency Dependent Hypothesis’, Evolution 38, 103–115.
Beatty, J.: 1993, ‘The Evolutionary Contingency Thesis’, in Lennox Wolters and McLaughlin (eds.), Concepts, Theories, and Rationality in the Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, pp. 45–81.
Beatty, J.: 1994, ‘Theoretical Pluralism in Biology, Including Systematics’, in L. Grande andO. Rieppel (eds.), Interpreting the Hierarchy of Nature, Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 33–60.
Beatty, J.: 1997, ‘Why Do Biologists Argue Like They Do?’ Philosophy of Science 64, S432–S443.
Bell, G.: 1988, Sex and Death in Protozoa: The History of an Obsession, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Bell, G.: 1982, The Masterpiece of Nature, University of California Press, Los Angeles.
Bernstein, H.: 1983, ‘Recombinational Repair May be an Important Function of Sexual Reproduction’, Bioscience 33, 326.
Bernstein, H.,Byerly, H.,Hopf, F. andMichod, R.: 1985a, ‘Genetic Damage, Mutation, and the Evolution of Sex’, Science 229, 1277–1281.
Bernstein, H.,Byerly, H.,Hopf, F. andMichod, R.: 1985b, ‘DNA Repair and Complementation: The Major Factors in the Origin and Maintenance of Sex’, in H. Halvorson andA. Monroy (eds.), The Origin and Evolution of Sex, A. R. Liss, New York, pp. 29–45.
Bernstein, H.,Hopf, F. andMichod, R.: 1988, ‘Is Meiotic Recombination an Adaptation for Repairing DNA, Producing Genetic Variation, or Both?’, in R. Michod andB. Levin (eds.), The Evolution of Sex, Sinauer Associates, MA, pp. 139–160.
Brandon, R.: 1990, Adaptation and Environment, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Dennett, D.: 1995, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, Evolution and the Meanings of Life, Simon and Schuster, New York.
Dougherty, E.: 1955, ‘Comparative Evolution and the Origin of Sexuality’, Systematic Zoology 4, 145–169.
Dybdahl, M. andLively, C.: 1995a, ‘Host Parasite Interactions: Infection of Common Clones in Natural Populations of a Freshwater Snail (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum)’, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 260, 99–103.
Dybdahl, M. andLively, C.: 1995b, ‘Diverse, Endemic and Polyphyletic Clones in Mixed Populations of a Freshwater Snail (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum)’, Journal of Evolutionary Biology 8, 385–398.
Edmunds, G. andAlstad, D.: 1981, ‘Responses of Black Pine Leaf Scales to Host Plant Variability’, in R. Denno andH. Dingle (eds.), Insect Life History Patterns: Habitat and Geographic Variation, Springer-Verlag, New York.
Fehr, C.: forthcoming, ‘Pluralism and Sex: More Than a Pragmatic Issue’, Philosophy of Science, Supplement.
Ghiselin, M.: 1988, ‘The Evolution of Sex: A History Competing Points of View’, in R. Michod andB. Levin (eds.), The Evolution of Sex, Sinauer Associates, MA, pp. 7–23.
Gould, S.: 1989, Wonderful Life, Norton, New York.
Howard, R. andLively, C.: 1994, ‘Parasitism, Mutation and the Maintenance of Sex’, Nature 367, 554–557.
Kondrashov: 1993, ‘Classification of Hypotheses on the Advantage of Amphimixis’, Heredity 84, 372–387.
Kuhn, T.: 1970, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Lively, C.,Craddock, C. andVrijenhoek, R.: 1990, ‘Red Queen Hypothesis Supported by Parasitism in Sexual and Clonal Fish’, Nature 334, 864–866.
Long, A. andMichod, R.: 1995, ‘Origin of Sex for Error Repair 1. Sex Diploidy and Haploidy’, Theoretical Population Biology 47, 18–55.
Maynard Smith, J.: 1978, The Evolution of Sex, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Maynard Smith, J.: 1988a, ‘The Evolution of Recombination’, in R. Michod andB. Levin (eds.), The Evolution of Sex, Sinauer Associates, MA, pp. 106–125.
Maynard Smith, J.: 1988b, ‘The Evolution of Sex’, in R. Bellig andG. Stevens (eds.), The Evolution of Sex, Harper and Row, San Francisco, pp. 2–17.
Michod, R.: 1995, Eros and Evolution: A Natural Philosophy of Sex, Addison Wesley Publishing, New York.
Michod, R. andLong, A.: 1995, ‘Origin of Sex for Error Repair: II Rarity and Extreme Environments’, Theoretical Population Biology 47, 56–81.
Mitchell, S.: 1992, ‘On Pluralism and Competition in Evolutionary Explanations’, American Zoologist 32, 135–144.
Newton, I.: 1686, Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Book III.
Seger, J. andHamilton, W.: 1988, ‘Parasites and Sex’, in R. Michod andB. Levin (eds.), The Evolution of Sex, Sinauer Associates, MA.
Shapere, D.: 1974, ‘Scientific Theories and Their Domains’, in F. Suppe (ed.), The Structure of Scientific Theories, University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
Shapere, D.: 1984, Reason and the Search for Knowledge: Investigations in the Philosophy of Science, Reidel, Boston.
Sherman, P.: 1988, ‘The Levels of Analysis’, Animal Behavior 36, 616–619.
Van Fraassen, B.: 1980, The Scientific Image, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Williams, G.C.: 1966, Adaptation and Natural Selection; A Critique of Some Current Evolutionary Thought, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Williams, G.C.: 1975, Sex and Evolution, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fehr, C. The Evolution of Sex: Domains and Explanatory Pluralism. Biology & Philosophy 16, 145–170 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006745328104
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006745328104