Science, Politics, and Evolution

310 Pages·2008·1.28 MB·English

by  Elisabeth A. Lloyd

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Science, Evolution, and Politics
Thisbookbringstogetherimportantessaysbyoneoftheleadingphiloso-
phersofscienceatworktoday.ElisabethAnneLloydexaminesseveralof
thecentraltopicsinphilosophyofbiology,includingthestructureofevo-
lutionarytheory,unitsofselection,andevolutionarypsychology,aswell
astheScienceWars,feminismandscience,andsexualityandobjectivity.
Lloydchallengesthecurrentevolutionaryaccountsofthefemaleorgasm
andanalyzesthemforbias.Shealsooffersaninnovativeanalysisofthe
conceptofobjectivity.Lloydanalyzesthestructureofevolutionarytheory
andunlocksthepuzzleoftheunitsofselectiondebatesintofourdistinct
aspects, illuminating several mysteries in the biology literature. Central
toallessaysinthisbookistheauthor’sabidingconcernforevidenceand
empiricaldata.
ElisabethAnneLloydisArnoldandMaxineTanisChairofHistoryand
Philosophy of Science at Indiana University and Professor of Biology
andanAffiliatedFacultyScholarattheKinseyInstituteforResearchin
Sex,Gender,andReproduction.SheistheauthorofTheStructureand
ConfirmationofEvolutionaryTheory,KeywordsinEvolutionaryBiology,
and,mostrecently,TheCaseoftheFemaleOrgasm:BiasintheScienceof
Evolution.
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cambridge studies in philosophy and biology
GeneralEditor
MichaelRuse FloridaStateUniversity
AdvisoryBoard
MichaelDonoghue YaleUniversity
JeanGayon UniversityofParis
JonathanHodge UniversityofLeeds
JaneMaienschein ArizonaStateUniversity
Jesu´sMoster´ın InstitutodeFilosof´ıa(SpanishResearchCouncil)
ElliottSober UniversityofWisconsin
Cambridge
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Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2010
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Science, Evolution, and Politics
ELISABETH ANNE LLOYD
IndianaUniversity
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cambridgeuniversitypress
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Firstpublished2008
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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Lloyd,ElisabethAnne.
Science,evolution,andpolitics/ElisabethAnneLloyd.
p. cm.–(Cambridgestudiesinphilosophyandbiology)
Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindex.
ISBN978-0-521-86570-8(hardback)
1.Evolution(Biology)–Philosophy. 2.Naturalselection–Philosophy.
3.Humanevolution–Philosophy. I.Title. II.Series.
QH360.5.L55 2008
576.8–dc22 2007027821
ISBN 978-0-521-86570-8hardback
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Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2010
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Contents
1. TheNatureofDarwin’sSupportfortheTheory
ofNaturalSelection page 1
2. ASemanticApproachtotheStructure
ofPopulationGenetics 20
3. ConfirmationofEcologicalandEvolutionaryModels 43
4. UnitsandLevelsofSelection 59
5. SpeciesSelectionsonVariability 84
withStephenJayGould
6. AnOpenLettertoElliottSoberandDavidSloanWilson,
RegardingTheirBook,UntoOthers:TheEvolution
andPsychologyofUnselfishBehavior 95
7. ProblemswithPluralism 106
8. NormalityandVariation:TheHumanGenomeProject
andtheIdealHumanType 133
9. EvolutionaryPsychology:TheBurdensofProof 148
10. ObjectivityandtheDoubleStandardforFeminist
Epistemologies 170
11. ScienceandAnti-Science:ObjectivityandItsRealEnemies 202
12. Pre-TheoreticalAssumptionsinEvolutionaryExplanations
ofFemaleSexuality 255
References 269
Index 297
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1
The Nature of Darwin’s Support for the Theory
of Natural Selection
1. darwin’s views
WilliamWhewellandSirJohnF.W.Herschel,themostinfluentialwriters
inphilosophyofscienceinthemid-nineteenthcentury, bothheldNew-
tonian physics aloft as the model form for a scientific theory. In order
todemonstrateDarwin’ssophisticationconcerningcontemporaryphilo-
sophicalandmethodologicalissues,Ishallquotehimextensively,inthis
section,fromhisprivatecorrespondence.
Onecrucialaspectofthelawsofmotioninsistedonbyphilosophersand
scientistsalikewasthattheycouldbedirectlytestedorproved.Darwin
waswellawareoftheexampleprovidedbyNewtonianphysics,andwas
equallywellawarethatthetheoryofnaturalselectioncouldnotbetested
bydirectinferencefromtheevidence.
Whenwedescendtodetails,wecanprovethatnoonespecieshaschanged
[i.e.wecannotprovethatasinglespecieshaschanged];norcanweprove
thatthesupposedchangesarebeneficial,whichisthegroundworkofthe
theory.Norcanweexplainwhysomespecieshavechangedandothershave
not.(Darwin1919,2:210)
Onanotheroccasion,DarwinwroteofF.W.Hutton:
He is one of the very few who see that the change of species cannot be
directly proved, and that the doctrine must sink or swim according as it
groupsandexplainsphenomena.Itisreallycurioushowfewjudgeitinthis
way,whichisclearlytherightway.(1919,2:155)
Lloyd,E.A.(1983).TheNatureofDarwin’sSupportfortheTheoryofNaturalSelection.
PhilosophyofScience,50,112–129.
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