Author:
Fodor, Jerry A.
Edition Statement:1st American ed.
Imprint:New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.
Descriptionxx, 264 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Note:What kind of theory is the theory of natural selection? -- Internal constraints : what the new biology tells us -- Whole genomes, networks, modules and other complexities -- Many constraints, many environments -- The return of the laws of form -- Many are called but few are chosen : the problem of 'selection-for' -- No exit? : some responses to the problem of 'selection-for' -- Did the dodo lose its ecological niche? : or was it the other way around? -- Summary and postlude.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-248) and index.
Note:This book dares to challenge natural selection--not in the name of religion but in the name of good science. Most scientists are so terrified of religious attacks on the theory of evolution that it is never examined critically. There are significant scientific and philosophical problems with the theory of natural selection. Darwin claimed the factors that determine the course of evolution are very largely environmental. Empirical results in biology are increasingly calling this thesis into question. The authors show that Darwinism is committed to inferring, from the premise that a kind of creature with a certain trait was selected, the conclusion that that kind of creature was selected for having that trait. Though such inferences are fallacious, they are nevertheless unavoidable within the Darwinist framework. Ultimately, Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini level a devastating critique against Darwinist orthodoxy and suggest new ways of thinking about evolution.--From publisher description.
Note:In this provocative, enlightening, and very entertaining book, the authors argue that natural selection cannot explain how evolution occurs and then proceed to outline significant scientific and philosophical problems with the theory as well as suggesting new ways of thinking about evolution.
