Erkenntnis 80 (S3):457-468 (2015)
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Abstract |
The paper provides a new critical perspective on the propensity interpretation of fitness, by investigating its relationship to the propensity interpretation of probability. Two main conclusions are drawn. First, the claim that fitness is a propensity cannot be understood properly: fitness is not a propensity in the sense prescribed by the propensity interpretation of probability. Second, this interpretation of probability is inessential for explanations proposed by the PIF in evolutionary biology. Consequently, interpreting the probabilistic dimension of fitness in terms of propensities is neither a strong motivation in favor of this interpretation, nor a possible target for substantial criticism.
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Keywords | Propensity Fitness Propensity interpretation Probability Objective chance Explanation Evolutonary theory Natural selection |
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DOI | 10.1007/s10670-014-9681-2 |
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References found in this work BETA
Statistical Explanation & Statistical Relevance.Wesley Salmon - 1971 - Pittsburgh, PA, USA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
The Propensity Interpretation of Probability.Karl R. Popper - 1959 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 10 (37):25-42.
View all 23 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Trait Fitness is Not a Propensity, but Fitness Variation Is.Elliott Sober - 2013 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 44 (3):336-341.
The Propensity Interpretation of Probability: A Re-Evaluation.Joseph Berkovitz - 2015 - Erkenntnis 80 (S3):629-711.
In What Sense Can There Be Evolution by Natural Selection Without Perfect Inheritance?Pierrick Bourrat - 2019 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 32 (1):13-31.
What Is It Like To Be an Environment? A Semantic and Epistemological Inquiry.Philippe Huneman - 2022 - Biological Theory 17 (1):94-112.
The Complex Nexus of Evolutionary Fitness.Mauricio Suárez - 2022 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 12 (1):1-26.
View all 8 citations / Add more citations
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