Indeterminacy is inherent in an inadequate model of evolution, not in nature
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Douglas Wahlsten, Visiting Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: Plotkin & Odling-Smee's (P&O's) critique of a "monolithic theory" of evolution espoused by prominent sociobiologists draws attention to the roles of learning, culture, and society in evolution. Insofar as it opposes the simple-minded genetic determinism so prevalent in this field, it shows a positive trend of thought, although it is somewhat surprising that the authors do not make reference to previous discussions of cultural transmission by Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman (1978) or by Rao et at (1976). However, P&O's paper has several shortcomings which make the alternative model they propose untenable.
Indeterminacy is inherent in an inadequate model of evolution, not in nature
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Created on 4/14/2011
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1981), 4
- Language: English
- Date: 1981
- Keywords
- Evolution, Randomness, Indeterminate, Models