Fitness and evolutionary explanation [Book Review]
Biology and Philosophy 6 (1):45-53 (1991)
Abstract |
Recent philosophical discussions have failed to clarify the roles of the concept fitness in evolutionary theory. Neither the propensity interpretation of fitness nor the construal of fitness as a primitive theoretical term succeed in explicating the empirical content and explanatory power of the theory of natural selection. By appealing to the structure of simple mathematical models of natural selection, we separate out different contrasts which have tended to confuse discussions of fitness: the distinction between what fitness is defined as versus what fitness is a function of, the contrast between adaptedness as an overall property of organisms and specific adaptive capacities, the distinction between actual and potential reproductive success, the role of chance versus systematic causal relations, fitness as applied to organisms as opposed to fitness applied to genotype classes, heritable adaptive capacities of genotypes as opposed to relations between genotypes and the environment. We show how failure to distinguish and properly interrelate these different aspects of “fitness” adds confusion to a number of already complex issues concerning evolutionary theory. On the basis of our discussion of these different aspects of “fitness”, we propose a terminology which makes the necessary distinctions. A central result of our analysis is that the concept of fitness as the overall adaptedness of organisms does not enter into the causal structure of evolutionary explanation, at least to the extent that this structure is represented in the mathematical models of natural selection.
|
Keywords | Explanation fitness natural selection propensity tautology |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1007/BF02426824 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Levels of Selection Are Artefacts of Different Fitness Temporal Measures.Pierrick Bourrat - 2015 - Ratio 28 (1):40-50.
What Determines Biological Fitness? The Problem of the Reference Environment.Marshall Abrams - 2009 - Synthese 166 (1):21-40.
Towards Disciplinary Disintegration in Biology.Wim J. Van Der Steen - 1993 - Biology and Philosophy 8 (3):259-275.
Towards Disciplinary Disintegration in Biology.Wim J. Steen - 1993 - Biology and Philosophy 8 (3):259-275.
View all 6 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
On the Adaptations of Organisms and the Fitness of Types.Lia Ettinger, Eva Jablonka & Peter McLaughlin - 1990 - Philosophy of Science 57 (3):499-513.
The Propensity Interpretation of Fitness.Susan K. Mills & John H. Beatty - 1979 - Philosophy of Science 46 (2):263-286.
A Defense of Propensity Interpretations of Fitness.Robert C. Richardson & Richard M. Burian - 1992 - PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1992:349 - 362.
A Structural Description of Evolutionary Theory.Robert N. Brandon - 1980 - PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1980:427 - 439.
Some Reflections on Evolutionary Theories, with a Classification of Fitness.Klaus Henle - 1991 - Acta Biotheoretica 39 (2):91-106.
The Confusions of Fitness.André Ariew & Richard C. Lewontin - 2004 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 55 (2):347-363.
Matthen and Ariew’s Obituary for Fitness: Reports of its Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated. [REVIEW]Alexander Rosenberg & Frederic Bouchard - 2005 - Biology and Philosophy 20 (2-3):343-353.
Fitness as a Function.Henry Byerly - 1986 - PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1986:494 - 501.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-01-28
Total views
85 ( #117,559 of 2,412,036 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #346,023 of 2,412,036 )
2009-01-28
Total views
85 ( #117,559 of 2,412,036 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #346,023 of 2,412,036 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads