In the closing remarks we propose a theoretical watermark that connects all the chapters of this volume. After a short summary about Eldredge’s twin hierarchies as a possible unifying frame for evolutionary biology, with different levels of organization above and below the organismic level, we stress the point the each level should be considered autonomous, and at the same time interdependent with the others. Hierarchy theory is a non-reductionist Darwinian research programme, with a heuristic and a theoretical relevance. In the first sense, Hierarchy Theory is a useful framework in order to understand the rapid advancements in specific evolutionary disciplines, such as paleo-anthropology. In the second sense, Hierarchy Theory aims at enlarging the standard neo-Darwinian theory of evolution through a more ecological and multilevel framework if compared to the so-called Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. The theory of evolution is still evolving, and this is what a healthy research programme should do.
Hierarchy theory and the extended synthesis debate
PIEVANI, DIETELMO
2016
Abstract
In the closing remarks we propose a theoretical watermark that connects all the chapters of this volume. After a short summary about Eldredge’s twin hierarchies as a possible unifying frame for evolutionary biology, with different levels of organization above and below the organismic level, we stress the point the each level should be considered autonomous, and at the same time interdependent with the others. Hierarchy theory is a non-reductionist Darwinian research programme, with a heuristic and a theoretical relevance. In the first sense, Hierarchy Theory is a useful framework in order to understand the rapid advancements in specific evolutionary disciplines, such as paleo-anthropology. In the second sense, Hierarchy Theory aims at enlarging the standard neo-Darwinian theory of evolution through a more ecological and multilevel framework if compared to the so-called Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. The theory of evolution is still evolving, and this is what a healthy research programme should do.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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