On Darwin's palaeontology in The Origin of Species
La paléontologie de Darwin dans L’Origine des espèces
a Équipe biominéralisations, UMR 7193, université Paris VI, Collège de France, 75251 Paris cedex 05, France
Available online 6 February 2010.
Abstract
I investigate the role of palaeontology within Darwin's works through an analysis of the two chapters of The Origin of Species most especially devoted to this science. Palaeontology may occupy several places within the structure of the argumentative logic of Darwinism, but these places have remained to some extent ancillary. Indeed, palaeontology could well document evolutionary patterns, showing the actual occurrence of evolution as a general “historical fact”, but it was poorly adapted to demonstrate the main point of Darwinism: the actual evolutionary process: natural selection acting amongindividuals. I also show, in agreement with Gould, that Darwin had great confidence in the ultimate ability of palaeontology to support his theory, and that in interpreting palaeontological evidence, he expressed a vision of natural selection much wider and more eclectic than that which has generally been ascribed to him.
Résumé
Available online 6 February 2010.
Abstract
I investigate the role of palaeontology within Darwin's works through an analysis of the two chapters of The Origin of Species most especially devoted to this science. Palaeontology may occupy several places within the structure of the argumentative logic of Darwinism, but these places have remained to some extent ancillary. Indeed, palaeontology could well document evolutionary patterns, showing the actual occurrence of evolution as a general “historical fact”, but it was poorly adapted to demonstrate the main point of Darwinism: the actual evolutionary process: natural selection acting amongindividuals. I also show, in agreement with Gould, that Darwin had great confidence in the ultimate ability of palaeontology to support his theory, and that in interpreting palaeontological evidence, he expressed a vision of natural selection much wider and more eclectic than that which has generally been ascribed to him.
Résumé
La paléontologie de Darwin dans L’Origine des espèces. On met en question la position de la paléontologie dans l’œuvre darwinienne, au travers de l’analyse des deux chapitres de L’Origine des espèces où cette science est particulièrement envisagée. Compte tenu de la logique argumentative propre au darwinisme, la paléontologie a pu occuper plusieurs places au sein de cet argumentaire, mais ces places sont demeurées quelque peu subordonnées. En effet, la paléontologie pouvait bien renseigner sur les patternsévolutifs, en documentant l’évolution en tant que « fait historique » général, mais elle était peu armée pour appuyer l’essentiel ou « noyau dur » de l’argumentation darwinienne, c’est-à-dire le process ou mécanisme fondamental de la transformation évolutive : la sélection naturelle s’exerçant entre les organismesindividuels. On montre par ailleurs, en accord avec Gould, que Darwin a manifesté une grande confiance quant à l’aptitude future de la paléontologie à appuyer sa théorie et qu’il a exprimé à son propos une vision du mécanisme sélectif bien plus large et éclectique que celle que l’on lui a généralement attribué.
Keywords: Evolution; Darwin; Palaeontology; Levels of natural selection; Patterns and process
Mots clés: Évolution; Darwin; Paléontologie; Niveaux de la sélection naturelle; « Patterns » et processus
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