The Essence of Scientific Theories
David L. Hull
Emeritus Professor, Department of Philosophy
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
david.lee.hull@etss.net
The goal of the new journal, Biological Theory, is to integrate development, evolution, and cognition, emphasizing the conceptual integration afforded by evolutionary and developmental approaches. What interactions have taken place between these areas of scientific research in the past? What interactions can we expect from them in the future? Answering these questions is quite difficult, in large part because such notions as scientific theories and conceptual systems are not all that clear. Can Darwin’s theory be characterized from Darwin’s earliest formulation to the present by a set of essential propositions? Did neo-Darwinism comprise a new theory or was it just a reworking of Darwinism? How about the new synthesis, the neutral theory of evolution, punctuated equilibrium, molecular drive, and EvoDevo, not to mention developmental systems theory, nongenetic systems of inheritance, and niche construction?
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Alô CAPES: Esta importante publicação científica não pode ficar de fora da lista de periódicos gratuitamente disponíveis para os professores, pesquisadores e alunos de universidades públicas e privadas com acesso ao site CAPES/Periódicos.
Agora eu posso entender o por que de a Nomenklatura científica tupiniquim ter ficado em silêncio sobre o status epistêmico da teoria da evolução de Darwin através da seleção natural e n mecanismos evolucionários (de A a Z): não tem acesso a uma publicação científica que está considerando a necessidade de uma mudança paradigmática em biologia evolutiva!!!
