Darwinian populations and natural selection / Peter Godfrey-Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Godfrey-Smith, Peter.

Contributor:

John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural selection.

Evolution (Biology).

Physical Description:

ix, 207 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2009]

Summary:

In 1859 Darwin described a deceptively simple mechanism that he called "natural selection," a combination of variation, inheritance, and reproductive success. He argued that this mechanism was the key to explaining the most puzzling features of the natural world, and science and philosophy were changed forever as a result. The exact nature of the Darwinian process has been controversial ever since, however. Godfrey-Smith draws on recent developments in biology, philosophy of science, and other fields to give a new analysis and extension of Darwin's idea. The central concept used is that of a "Darwinian population," a collection of things with the capacity to undergo change by natural selection. From this starting point, analyses of the role of genes in evolution, the application of Darwinian ideas to cultural change, and "evolutionary transitions" that produce complex organisms and societies are developed. Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection will be essential reading for anyone interested in evolutionary theory.

Contents:

1 Introduction and Overview 1

2 Natural Selection and its Representation 17

3 Variation, Selection, and Origins 41

4 Reproduction and Individuality 69

5 Bottlenecks, Germ Lines, and Queen Bees 87

6 Levels and Transitions 109

7 The Gene's Eye View 129

8|Cultural Evolution 147.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

ISBN:

9780199552047

0199552045

OCLC:

260204798