The proper role of history in evolutionary explanations

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Reydon, T.A.C.: The proper role of history in evolutionary explanations. In: Noûs 57 (2023), Nr. 1, S. 162-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12402

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Sum total of downloads: 45




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Abstract: 
Evolutionary explanations are not only common in the biological sciences, but also widespread outside biology. But an account of how evolutionary explanations perform their explanatory work is still lacking. This paper develops such an account. I argue that available accounts of explanations in evolutionary science miss important parts of the role of history in evolutionary explanations. I argue that the historical part of evolutionary science should be taken as having genuine explanatory force, and that it provides how-possibly explanations sensu Dray. I propose an account of evolutionary explanations as comparative-composite explanations consisting of two distinct kinds of explanations, one processual and one historical, that are connected via the explanandum's evolvability to show how the explanandum is the product of its evolutionary past. The account is both a reconstruction of how evolutionary explanations in biology work and a guideline specifying what kind of explanations evolutionary research programs should develop.
License of this version: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Unported
Document Type: Article
Publishing status: publishedVersion
Issue Date: 2021
Appears in Collections:Philosophische Fakultät

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pos. country downloads
total perc.
1 image of flag of Germany Germany 19 42.22%
2 image of flag of United States United States 11 24.44%
3 image of flag of Ukraine Ukraine 2 4.44%
4 image of flag of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of 2 4.44%
5 image of flag of Indonesia Indonesia 2 4.44%
6 image of flag of Russian Federation Russian Federation 1 2.22%
7 image of flag of Serbia Serbia 1 2.22%
8 image of flag of Netherlands Netherlands 1 2.22%
9 image of flag of Mexico Mexico 1 2.22%
10 image of flag of Italy Italy 1 2.22%
    other countries 4 8.89%

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