At 9:32 PM -0600 11/22/07, Brandon, Paul K wrote: >There are two separate issues here, neither of which concerns the >fact of evolution. >First, there is the Gould/Lewontin position that not all traits are >a direct result of natural selection. >They occur because they are linked genetically to other traits that >were naturally selected (they adapted the term 'spandrel'
and coined the term 'exaptation'. >to refer to traits that themselves conveyed no fitness advantage). >This position does not deny that natural selection through >propagation fitness is the main mechanism driving evolution; simply >that some traits are fitness neutral. >It's my impression that this is no longer particularly controversial >in evolutionary biology. > >The second issue (the one that Jerry Fodor is riding) is controversial. >Again, it does not deny the fact of evolution. >What it does question is the mechanism driving it. >This position posits that natural (sexual) selection from a pool of >random variability is a minor factor, and that the main mechanism is >genetic drift or some such molecular process. > >As usual, few biologists in either camp claim that one mechanism is >exclusive; the main argument concerns which one is the main >determinant of evolution. > >I suspect that many books will be written before the dustup settles. >-- >The best argument against intelligent design is that peop -- The best argument against intelligent design is that people believe in it. * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Department 507-389-6217 * * 23 Armstrong Hall Minnesota State University, Mankato * * http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~pkbrando/ * ---
