Evolution without accidents?

The subheading of this article claims that “Despite advances in molecular genetics, too many biologists think that natural selection is driven by random mutations”.

Several examples in the article show how the random changes which natural selection acts upon do not always have to be small. This is something that Darwin himself eventually acknowledged and for which modern theorists have identified a number of plausible mechanisms which are widely understood and accepted. So no modern biologists think that natural selection is driven by random small mutations. The article’s discussion of some of those mechanisms is well informed and interesting, but the false claim that they are not “random” and confound a “physicalist” interpretation makes it something that I could not in good conscience recommend to anyone – and even raises doubts in my mind as to the intentions and integrity of the author.

Source: Why did Darwin’s 20th-century followers get evolution so wrong? | Aeon Essays

This entry was posted in uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *