Synthesising arguments and the extended evolutionary synthesis.
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Authors
Publication Date
2020-04Journal Title
Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci
ISSN
1369-8486
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
80
Pages
101244
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Physical Medium
Print-Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Buskell, A. (2020). Synthesising arguments and the extended evolutionary synthesis.. Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci, 80 101244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2019.101244
Abstract
Synthesising arguments motivate changes to the conceptual tools, theoretical structure, and evaluatory framework employed in a given scientific domain. Recently, a broad coalition of researchers has put forward a synthesising argument in favour of an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis ('EES'). Often this synthesising argument is evaluated using a virtue-based approach, which construes the EES as a wholesale alternative to prevailing practice. Here I argue this virtue-based approach is not fit for purpose. Taking the central concept of niche construction as a case study, I show that an agenda-based approach better captures the pragmatic and epistemological goals of the EES synthesising argument and diagnoses areas of empirical disagreement with prevailing practice.
Keywords
Dissent and Disputes, Models, Theoretical, Biological Evolution
Sponsorship
Isaac Newton Trust, Leverhulme Trust
Funder references
John Templeton Foundation (via University of St Andrews) (13337)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2019.101244
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/300512
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Licence URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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