Darwinism, not mutationism, explains the design of organisms

Andy Gardner

doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.08.012

Darwinism, not mutationism, explains the design of organisms

Andy Gardner^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Shapiro claims that advances in molecular genetics have undermined Darwinism, leading him to advocate mutationism. However, this extreme view is bourne out of conceptual error. He has misunderstood the distinction between gradualism and saltationism, which do not concern the rate of genetic change, but rather the emergence of complex design. And he has misunderstood the relationship between the dynamics of natural selection and the agency of individual organisms: these are not competing hypotheses, but rather alternative conceptualizations of the same phenomenon. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	97-98
Number of pages	2
Journal	Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Volume	111
Issue number	2-3
Early online date	18 Sept 2012
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.08.012
Publication status	Published - Apr 2013

Keywords

Adaptation
Design
Fitness maximization
Natural selection
Teleology
Vitalism
Shapiroism
OPTIMIZATION

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10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.08.012

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title = "Darwinism, not mutationism, explains the design of organisms",

abstract = "Shapiro claims that advances in molecular genetics have undermined Darwinism, leading him to advocate mutationism. However, this extreme view is bourne out of conceptual error. He has misunderstood the distinction between gradualism and saltationism, which do not concern the rate of genetic change, but rather the emergence of complex design. And he has misunderstood the relationship between the dynamics of natural selection and the agency of individual organisms: these are not competing hypotheses, but rather alternative conceptualizations of the same phenomenon. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.",

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AB - Shapiro claims that advances in molecular genetics have undermined Darwinism, leading him to advocate mutationism. However, this extreme view is bourne out of conceptual error. He has misunderstood the distinction between gradualism and saltationism, which do not concern the rate of genetic change, but rather the emergence of complex design. And he has misunderstood the relationship between the dynamics of natural selection and the agency of individual organisms: these are not competing hypotheses, but rather alternative conceptualizations of the same phenomenon. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KW - Adaptation

KW - Design

KW - Fitness maximization

KW - Natural selection

KW - Teleology

KW - Vitalism

KW - Shapiroism

KW - OPTIMIZATION

U2 - 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.08.012

DO - 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.08.012

M3 - Editorial

SN - 0079-6107

VL - 111

SP - 97

EP - 98

JO - Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology

JF - Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology

IS - 2-3

ER -

Darwinism, not mutationism, explains the design of organisms

Abstract

Keywords

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