Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780199552047)

In 1859 Darwin described a deceptively simple mechanism that he called "natural selection," a combination of variation, inheritance, and reproductive success. He argued that this mechanism was the key to explaining the most puzzling features of the natural world, and science and philosophy were changed forever as a result. The exact nature of the Darwinian process has been controversial ever since, however. Godfrey-Smith draws on new developments in biology, philosophy of science, and other fields to give a new analysis and extension of Darwin's idea. The central concept used is that of a "Darwinian population," a collection of things with the capacity to undergo change by natural selection. From this starting point, new analyses of the role of genes in evolution, the application of Darwinian ideas to cultural change, and "evolutionary transitions" that produce complex organisms and societies are developed. Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection will be essential reading for anyone interested in evolutionary theory.

Author: Peter Godfrey-Smith
ISBN-10: 0199552045
ISBN-13: 9780199552047
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 05/17/2009
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.00w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Science 10/16/2009 pg. 368
Choice 04/01/2010