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I depict evolutionary research as a flower. Each petal represents a distinct research school.
I depict evolutionary research as a flower. Each petal represents a distinct research school.
Evolution is a phenomenon traditionally studied from within the biological sciences. The latter have evolved numerous disciplines and research areas that can be grouped into seven main schools. Several of these schools can be further clustered into mega-structures known as paradigms. Darwinism marks the onset of modern evolutionary thinking, and it lies at the foundation of the Modern Synthesis. Darwinism and the teachings of the Modern Synthesis together are referred to as the Neo-Darwinian paradigm. Micro-, Meso-, and Macroevolutionary schools are extensions of the Neo-Darwinian paradigm, and together with the school of Ecology, they comprise the paradigm known as Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Eco-Evo-Devo). The Reticulate Evolution School evolved independently of these Darwinian-based research schools.
Evolution is a heterogeneous phenomenon that can occur through various mechanisms and processes, as researched by distinct schools of evolutionary thought.
Each school has contributed valuable insights into the process of evolution. However, an all-encompassing research framework or evolutionary paradigm does not currently exist. This is due, on the one hand, to the division of the evolutionary sciences and, on the other, to the pluralistic nature of evolution. The current focus, therefore, lies not in how distinct sciences and schools can be unified but in how we can account for this evolutionary pluralism. Of significant importance is how we define units, levels, mechanisms, and evolutionary hierarchies and how these can account for evolutionary causation. I contribute to such research by developing an approach I call applied evolutionary epistemology.
The full rationale behind the Flower of Evolution is explained in the following publications.
The full rationale behind the Flower of Evolution is explained in the following publications.
The evolution of the biological sciences. (2024). In: Gontier, N., Lock, A., Sinha, C. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution, pp. 3-26. Oxford University Press.
The evolution of the symbolic sciences. (2024). In: Gontier, N., Lock, A., Sinha, C. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution, pp. 27-70. Oxford University Press.
Situating physiology within evolutionary theory. (2024). Journal of Physiology 602: 2401-2415.
Evolving views on the science of evolution. (2024). Academic Questions 132: 26-35.
The Plurality of Evolutionary Worldviews. (2021). Biosemiotics, 14: 35-40.
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