The scope of evolutionary thinking / Thomas A. C. Reydon

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reydon, Thomas A. C., author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in the philosophy of biology

Cambridge elements. Elements in the philosophy of biology, 2515-1126

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Evolution--Philosophy.

Evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025

Summary:

"Evolutionary theory has found its way into a staggeringly large diversity of fields outside the biological sciences. This Element examines how crossovers of evolutionary theory from biology into other fields occur, and in what ways such fields can be meaningfully considered evolutionary fields of research. Cases of crossover of evolutionary theory have so far not been examined systematically by philosophers of science, and this Element aims to start with developing a philosophical account of this practice as a general strategy in science. It shows that theory crossovers do not consist in straightforward applications of a generally accepted version of evolutionary theory to non-biological phenomena, but must be understood differently. Alternatively, it is suggested that crossovers of evolutionary theory involve a general style of thinking and shown how this provides a unifying perspective on crossovers of evolutionary theory between fields"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

A theory travels

Crossover without models

The source field: evolutionary theorizing in biology

Three modes of crossover

The evolutionary style of thinking

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge University Press, viewed October 1, 2025)

Other Format:

Print version: Reydon, Thomas A. C., Scope of evolutionary thinking

ISBN:

9781009181839

1009181831

OCLC:

1535167256

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license

Some versions: Open access versions available from some providers open access