Theory of Knowledge:Darwinism

ISF, January 2011PD Dr. Dirk Solies

"Man is but a worm"

Argumentative reductionism:– "morning star→ evening star → Venus":

– statement of identity

– ampliative (gehaltserweiternd) in a subjective, not in an objective way

Man → worm or man → ape?!

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

The „Tree of Life“

To be discussed:

• Which are the core concepts of Darwinism?

• What is Darwinism?

• Is Darwinism “true”?

• Who doubts Darwinism?

• Is Darwinism relevant for our everyday life?

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

The status of "classical" Darwinism

1. Nomothetic Status of Darwinism:– No law (missing predictablity!) but

– (Well proven) hypothesis:"Nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution." (Dobzhansky)

2. "The" Darwinism and implied principles (Lewontin):

(1) Principle of phenotypic variation

(2) Principle of differential fitness

(3) Heritability of fitnessLewontin, Richard C. (1970), The units of selection. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 1, S. 1-18

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

Darwinist Differentiations

"Evolution as a biological theorem"

"Popular Evolutionism or Developmentalismwhich is certainly a Myth"

C. S. Lewis: The Funeral of a Great Myth

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

Two "darwinian" catch phrasesand their popular adaptation

(1) "Struggle for life" / "for existence“

(1) "struggle", not "fight" / "war“

(2) "strong connotations" (Pörksen)

(2) "Survival of the fittest" (Spencer → Darwin)

(1) fit = strong???

(2) not individuum but population

Socio-morphous concepts in Darwin‘s thought

highly suggestive

leads to misconceptionsPD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

Title of the first German translation:

Entstehung der Artenim Thier- und Pflanzen-Reich durch natürliche Züchtung, Erhaltung der vervollkommnetenRassen im Kampfe um‘sDaseyn

(Bronn, 1860 – Hervorh. hinzugef.)

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

The dark side of Darwinism and the radical break in the 20th century

• "Positive eugenics" / "positive race hygiene": "improvement" of the genetic material through breeding

• "Negative eugenics" / "neg. race hygiene":elimination of "bad" genetic material in favorof future generations → "euthanasia"

• Projectionbiological results → socio-political targets

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

Cultural Darwinism:a small phenomenology

"The selfish gene"Personalized / automatized concept of information

"The God Delusion" / "Breaking the spell"Naturalization of deism

Evolutionary epistemologyincreasing "fitness" (Passung) of knowledge

"Pan-Adaptionism" (Dennett)

Biology of cooperative behaviour"The cooperative gene" (Bauer)

Biology of prosocial behaviour

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

•Variation by chance

•Heredity of theseVariations

•Transformationism

•Selection throughcompetition(Malthus)

•Materialism as an allegation

•"Lamarck instead of Darwin"

•Dissolution of "natural" (godgiven) species boundaries

•Social / Cultural Darwinism

Darwinian

theory elements..

... and their socio-politicalpotential of provocation

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz

Further readings

• Darwin and Nietzsche, in: Encyclopedia of time

• „Anti-Darwin“: Bergsons und Klages‘ Projekt einer Gegen-Evolution

• Darwinismus als bellum omnium contra omnes? Genese und Konsequenzen eines Missverständnisses

PD Dr. Dirk Solies, Prakt. Philos., JGU Mainz