Evolutionary Biology

Dickins, T.E. & Dickins, B.J.A. (Eds.) (2023.) Evolutionary Biology: Contemporary and Historical Reflections Upon Core Theory. Springer.

The book is published by Springer and can be found here.

The Modern Synthesis (MS) in evolutionary biology has been well documented and discussed.  Critical scrutiny over the last 15 years has led researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to claim that there is a need for an extension to that theory, and they have called for an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES).

The majority of chapters in this book address various aspects of the EES position, and reflect upon the MS. Some of the chapters take historical perspectives, analyzing various details of the MS and EES claims. Others offer theoretical and philosophical analyses of the debate, or take contemporary findings in biology and discuss those findings and their possible theoretical interpretations. All of the chapters draw upon actual biology to make their points. Each chapter is accompanied by a commentary from one or more of the authors contributing to the volume, and that commentary is then replied to. In this way the book offers a discursive approach to the topics covered and exposes key lines of debate for future enquiry.

This book is written by practicing biologists and behavioural biologists, historians and philosophers - many of them working in interdisciplinary fields. It is a valuable resource for historians and philosophers of biology as well as for biologists. 

Table of Contents

Preface

 

1      Introduction

Dickins, T.E., & Dickins, B.J.A.

 

PART 1

 

2             Every Evolutionist their Own Historian: The Importance of History, Context, and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Smocovitis, V.B.

 

3            Commentary on Smocovitis: Yes Indeed, Evolutionary Biologists Should Pay More Attention to History

               Svensson, E.I.

 

4      History, Evolution and the “Rashomon Effect”: Reply to Svensson

Smocovitis, V.B

 

PART 2

 

5             The creativity of natural selection and the creativity of organisms: Their roles in traditional evolutionary theory and some proposed extensions

Welch, J.J.


6      Let there be light: A Commentary on Welch

Haig, D.

        

7      Creative Destruction: A Reply to Haig

Welch, J.J.

 

PART 3

 

8            The Organism in Evolutionary Explanation: From Early 20th Century to the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

               Baedke, J., & Fábregas-Tejeda, A.


9            Causes and Consequences of Selection: A Commentary on Baedke & Fábregas-Tejeda

               Vidya, T.N.C. et al.

 

10        Organisms and the Causes and Consequences of Selection: A Reply to Vidya et al.

              Baedke, J., & Fábregas-Tejeda, A.

 

PART 4

 

11          The structure of evolutionary theory: Beyond Neo-Darwinism, Neo-Lamarckism and biased historical narratives about the Modern Synthesis

Svensson, E.I.


12     It’s the endless forms, stupid: Commentary on Svensson

Shuker, D.M.

 

13     Ecology, Agents, and the Causes of Selection: A Reply to Shuker

Svensson, E.I.

 

PART 5

 

14           Hypertextuality of an hyperextended synthesis: On the interpretation of theories by means of selective quotation

Haig, D.

 

15     Teleology, Organisms, and Genes: Commentary on Haig

Fábregas-Tejeda, A., & Baedke, J.

 

16     A token response: A Reply to Fábregas-Tejeda and Baedke

Haig, D.

 

PART 6

 

17         The Darwinian Core of Evolutionary Theory and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis: Similarities and Differences

Vidya, T.N.C., Dey, S., Prasad, N.G., & Joshi, A.

 

18          Evolution is Bigger than All of Us: Commentary on Vidya, Dey, Prasad, and Joshi

Smocovitis, V.B.

 

19     Why evolution is bigger than all of us: reply to Smocovitis

Vidya, T.N.C., Dey, S., Prasad, N.G., & Joshi, A.

 

PART 7

 

20     Inclusive fitness: a scientific revolution

Rodrigues, A.M.M., & Gardner, A.

 

21         Phenotypes, Organisms, and Individuals: Commentary on Rodrigues and Gardner

Dickins, T.E.

 

22     On Monism and Pluralism: A Reply to Dickins, T.E.

Rodrigues, A.M.M., & Gardner, A.

 

PART 8

 

23     Evolution of Bacteriophage Latent Period Length

Abedon, S.T.

 

24          Optimality and Idealization in Models of Bacteriophage Evolution: Commentary on Abedon

Dickins, B.J.A.

 

25          On the use of r-K selection in studying the evolution of bacteriophages: A Reply to Dickins, B.J.A.

Abedon, S.T.

 

PART 9

 

26     Plasticity and information

Dickins, T.E.

 

27         Phenotypic Plasticity and Evolutionary Syntheses: Commentary on Dickins

Futuyma, D.J.

 

28     On Rhetoric and Conceptual Frames: A Reply to Futuyma

Dickins, T.E.

 

PART 10

 

29          The curious incident of the wasp in the fig-fruit: sex allocation and the extended evolutionary synthesis

Shuker, D.M.

 

30     The Nuances of Biological Syntheses: Commentary on Shuker

Distin, M.R.

 

31     On Ecological Truths and the Role of Philosophy: A Reply to Distin

Shuker, D.M.

 

PART 11

 

32     The Evolving Evolutionary Synthesis

Futuyma, D.J.

 

33          Inclusive Fitness Theory as Scientific Revolution: Commentary on Futuyma

Rodrigues, A., & Gardner, A.

 

34     Inclusive Fitness Theory Prefigured: A Reply to Rodrigues and Gardner

Futuyma, D.J.

 

PART 12

 

35     Genes and organisms in the legacy of the modern synthesis

Ågren, J.A.

 

36     The Parallax View: Commentary on Ågren

Welch, J.J.

 

37     Why We Disagree About Selfish Genes: A Reply to Welch

Ågren, J.A.

 

PART 13

 

38          Genetic Evolvability: Using a Restricted Pluralism to Tidy Up the Evolvability Concept

Distin, M.R.

 

39     Pluralism and Progress in Evolutionary Biology: Commentary on Distin

Ågren, J.A.

 

40     Genetic Evolvability: A Reply to Ågren

Distin, M.R.

 

Contributors

 

Index