Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Evolution: Evolution is the process by which populations of living organisms change over generations. It is driven by natural selection, which is the process by which organisms with traits that are better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, this can lead to the emergence of new species. See also Selection, Mutation, Species, Survival, Fitness, Darwinism._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Terrence W. Deacon on Evolution - Dictionary of Arguments
I 29 Evolution/Selection/Deacon: it seems natural that smarter species prevail over more primitive ones. Is it really always like this? Is it right to order mind and mental deficits on a linear scale? In this context, the extension of consciousness, social progress and evolution are seen as mutually interchangeable terms. This is because we look at the world in terms of design and have borrowed the concept of evolution from the history of technical development. Cf. >Forms of thinking. Biological Evolution/Deacon: this is not additive in contrast to technical evolution. The human genre repertoire is similar to that of the frog or mouse. Also the body structure and even the brain is almost identical in most primates. Evolution: Evolution increased diversification and distribution. But this only occupies other niches. I 317 Evolution/Adaption/Adaptation/Deacon: there is an "evolutionary overdetermination": the apparent independence of many adapted advantages contributes to the same structural change. Since evolution is driven by patterns of tendencies, independent developments tend to strengthen each other in the long run. >Adaption. In this way, certain functions may concentrate on one half of the brain. I 322 Evolution/Baldwin's Evolution/Deacon/Baldwin's Evolution/J. M. Baldwin/Deacon: James Mark Baldwin proposed a modification of Darwinian evolution(1). Baldwin thesis: Learning and behavioural flexibility can influence natural selection through the development of certain skills that enable individuals to populate new niches. Subsequent generations are then subjected to a different type of selection pressure. >Niches, >Selection, >Learning. This does not claim that evolution becomes effective within a lifetime, but that offspring may be given better conditions for further adaptation, e.g. for colonization of colder regions. Thus Baldwin in no way contradicts the doctrine of Darwinism. >Darwinism. I 323 Thus, while no genetic change is initiated immediately, the change in the conditions will cause a change in relation to which of the existing genetic predispositions will be favoured in the future. Lactose intolerance is often cited as an example for this. 1. J. M. Baldwin, (1902): Consciousness and Evolution, Science 2, 212-223, J. M. Baldwin Development and Evolution, NY._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Dea I T. W. Deacon The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of language and the Brain New York 1998 Dea II Terrence W. Deacon Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter New York 2013 |
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Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-20