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Historical laws in modern biology

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Abstract

Several important analyses of the structure of evolutionary explanation have explicitly or implicitly required that historical laws be among the explanans statements. The required historical laws take the form of a generalization which relates some property or event to a developmental sequence of properties or events. The thesis of this paper is that historical laws of this kind are precluded by modern biological theory and, hence, analysis of evolutionary explanation within modern biology that require such laws are defective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Humanities, University of Toronto, Scarborough College, 1265 Military Trail, MIC 1A4, West Hill, Ontario

    Paul Thompson

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  1. Paul Thompson
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Thompson, P. Historical laws in modern biology. Acta Biotheor 32, 167–177 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00047490

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00047490

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