Fodor vs. Darwin: A Methodological Follow-Up
نویسندگان
چکیده
In a series of publications, which appeared in the last 3 years 1 Jerry Fodor launched an attack at what many believe is the core of Darwinian theory of evolution – the theory of natural selection. Fodor complains that the theory of natural selection “can’t explain the distribution of phenotypic traits in biological populations” (Fodor, 2008, p.11) and his main argument, slightly simplified 2 , is the following: In order to play its explanatory role properly, the theory of natural selection must rely on “nomologically necessary generalizations about the mechanisms of adaptation as such” (Fodor, 2008, p.23). There are not good candidates for such “nomologically necessary generalizations”, therefore, the theory of natural selection cannot explain what it is supposed to explain.
منابع مشابه
On Fodor on Darwin on Evolution
Jerry Fodor argues that Darwin was wrong about "natural selection" because (1) it is only a tautology rather than a scientific law that can support counterfactuals ("If X had happened, Y would have happened") and because (2) only minds can select. Hence Darwin's analogy with "artificial selection" by animal breeders was misleading and evolutionary explanation is nothing but post-hoc historical ...
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