Chance in EvolutionGrant Ramsey, Charles H. Pence Humans, however much we would care to think otherwise, do not represent the fated pinnacle of ape evolution. The diversity of life, from single-celled organisms to multicellular animals and plants, is the result of a long, complex, and highly chancy history. But how profoundly has chance shaped life on earth? And what, precisely, do we mean by chance? Bringing together biologists, philosophers of science, and historians of science, Chance in Evolution is the first book to untangle the far-reaching effects of chance, contingency, and randomness on the evolution of life. The book begins by placing chance in historical context, starting with the ancients and moving through Darwin and his contemporaries, documenting how the understanding of chance changed as Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection developed into the modern synthesis, and how the acceptance of chance in Darwinian theory affected theological resistance to it. Subsequent chapters detail the role of chance in contemporary evolutionary theory—in particular, in connection with the concepts of genetic drift, mutation, and parallel evolution—as well as recent empirical work in the experimental evolution of microbes and in paleobiology. By engaging in collaboration across biology, history, philosophy, and theology, this book offers a comprehensive and synthetic overview both of the history of chance in evolution and of our current best understanding of the impact of chance on life on earth. |
Contents
Chance in Evolution from Darwin to Contemporary Biology Grant Ramsey and Charles H Pence ... | 1 |
Part I The Historical Development and Implications of Chance in Evolution | 13 |
Part 2 Chance in the Processes of Evolution | 143 |
Part 3 Chance and Contingency in the History of Life | 221 |
| 299 | |
Contributors | 347 |
| 351 | |
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Common terms and phrases
adaptive animals approach argued argument authors biology called causal causes chance chapter claims complex concept consider contingency Darwin dependence determinism direction discussion distinction divergence drift early effects environment et al evolutionary evolved example existence experiments explain fact factors fitness forms frequency function gene genetic given going Gould Hodge human important increase individual initial involved issues later laws least Lenski less limited lineages means mechanisms molecular mutations natural selection notion objective occur organisms Origin outcomes parallel evolution particular path patterns phenotypic philosophical physical play populations position possible potential predict probability problem produce progress protein question random reason reference relative relevant reproduction requires result role sampling sense sequence similar species statistical studies success suggests synthesis theory thinking tion traits understanding variation volume wheel