Darwinian Dynamics

Darwinian Dynamics PDF Author: Richard E. Michod
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691223866
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
The concept of fitness has long been a topic of intense debate among evolutionary biologists and their critics, with its definition and explanatory power coming under attack. In this book, Richard Michod offers a fresh, dynamical interpretation of evolution and fitness concepts. He argues that evolution has no enduring products; what matters is the process of genetic change. Whereas many biologists have focused on competition and aggression as determining factors in survival, Michod, by concentrating on the emergence of individuality at new and more complex levels, finds that cooperation plays even a greater role. Michod first considers the principles behind the hierarchically nested levels of organization that constitute life: genes, chromosomes, genomes, cells, multicellular organisms, and societies. By examining the evolutionary transitions from the molecular level up to the whole organism, the author explains how cooperation and conflict in a multilevel setting leads to new levels of fitness. He builds a model of fitness drawing on recent developments in ecology and multilevel selection theory and on new explanations of the origin of life. Michod concludes with a discussion of the philosophical implications of his theory of fitness, a theory that addresses the most fundamental and unique concept in all of biology.

Darwinian Dynamics

Darwinian Dynamics PDF Author: Richard E. Michod
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691223866
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
The concept of fitness has long been a topic of intense debate among evolutionary biologists and their critics, with its definition and explanatory power coming under attack. In this book, Richard Michod offers a fresh, dynamical interpretation of evolution and fitness concepts. He argues that evolution has no enduring products; what matters is the process of genetic change. Whereas many biologists have focused on competition and aggression as determining factors in survival, Michod, by concentrating on the emergence of individuality at new and more complex levels, finds that cooperation plays even a greater role. Michod first considers the principles behind the hierarchically nested levels of organization that constitute life: genes, chromosomes, genomes, cells, multicellular organisms, and societies. By examining the evolutionary transitions from the molecular level up to the whole organism, the author explains how cooperation and conflict in a multilevel setting leads to new levels of fitness. He builds a model of fitness drawing on recent developments in ecology and multilevel selection theory and on new explanations of the origin of life. Michod concludes with a discussion of the philosophical implications of his theory of fitness, a theory that addresses the most fundamental and unique concept in all of biology.

Evolutionary Game Theory, Natural Selection, and Darwinian Dynamics

Evolutionary Game Theory, Natural Selection, and Darwinian Dynamics PDF Author: Thomas L. Vincent
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139444293
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
All of life is a game, and evolution by natural selection is no exception. The evolutionary game theory developed in this 2005 book provides the tools necessary for understanding many of nature's mysteries, including co-evolution, speciation, extinction and the major biological questions regarding fit of form and function, diversity, procession, and the distribution and abundance of life. Mathematics for the evolutionary game are developed based on Darwin's postulates leading to the concept of a fitness generating function (G-function). G-function is a tool that simplifies notation and plays an important role developing Darwinian dynamics that drive natural selection. Natural selection may result in special outcomes such as the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). An ESS maximum principle is formulated and its graphical representation as an adaptive landscape illuminates concepts such as adaptation, Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection, and the nature of life's evolutionary game.

Evolutionary Game Theory, Natural Selection, and Darwinian Dynamics

Evolutionary Game Theory, Natural Selection, and Darwinian Dynamics PDF Author: Thomas L. Vincent
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781107406513
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
All of life is a game, and evolution by natural selection is no exception. The evolutionary game theory developed in this 2005 book provides the tools necessary for understanding many of nature's mysteries, including co-evolution, speciation, extinction and the major biological questions regarding fit of form and function, diversity, procession, and the distribution and abundance of life. Mathematics for the evolutionary game are developed based on Darwin's postulates leading to the concept of a fitness generating function (G-function). G-function is a tool that simplifies notation and plays an important role developing Darwinian dynamics that drive natural selection. Natural selection may result in special outcomes such as the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). An ESS maximum principle is formulated and its graphical representation as an adaptive landscape illuminates concepts such as adaptation, Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection, and the nature of life's evolutionary game.

Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection

Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection PDF Author: Peter Godfrey-Smith
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191609552
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
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

Darwin and Catholicism

Darwin and Catholicism PDF Author: Louis Caruana
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567256723
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
An exploration of the interaction between Darwinian ideas and Catholic doctrine.

Darwinian Politics

Darwinian Politics PDF Author: Paul H. Rubin
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813530963
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
An examination of political behaviour from a modern evolutionary perspective. Paul H. Rubin discusses group or social behaviour, including: ethnic and racial conflict; altruism and co-operation; envy; political power; and the role of religion in politics.

The Dynamic Genome

The Dynamic Genome PDF Author: Antonio Fontdevila
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019954137X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
These novelties, among others, are examined in this book in relation to their general significance for evolution, emphasising their human relevance.

Darwinian Dynamics

Darwinian Dynamics PDF Author: Richard E. Michod
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691050119
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
In this book, Richard Michod offers a fresh, dynamical interpretation of evolution and fitness concepts. He argues that evolution has no enduring products; what matters is the process of genetic change. Whereas many biologists have focused on competition and aggression as determining factors in survival, Michod, by concentrating on the emergence of individuality at new and more complex levels, finds that cooperation plays an even greater role.

The Collapse of Darwinism, Or, The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life

The Collapse of Darwinism, Or, The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life PDF Author: Graeme Donald Snooks
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739106136
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
In this provocative work, noted social and economic theorist Graeme D. Snooks exposes fatal flaws in the foundations of the Darwinian theory of evolution, which he deems an "artificial algorithm," as well as the neo-Darwinian synthesis adopted by many social scientists. Utilizing the historical method, Snooks develops a remarkable replacement theory of evolution, which he calls the "dynamic-strategy" theory. While the neo-Darwinian position places too great an emphasis on genetic change--giving rise to untenable but popular concepts such as the "selfish gene"--and fails to explain the fluctuating fortunes of life's most successful species (mankind), Snooks' framework starts by systematically observing the broad patterns of life and human society. The resultant realist theory of life posits life as a strategic pursuit (rather than a game of chance) in which organisms adopt dynamic strategies (only one of which is genetic change) to survive and prosper. Organisms' and species' progress is achieved through "strategic selection"--a concept that displaces the "divine selection" of creationists and the "natural selection" of Darwinists. This new theory reveals the organism as empowered, rather than as the plaything of gods, genes, or blind chance; and it provides a new basis for humanism.

The Process of Animal Domestication

The Process of Animal Domestication PDF Author: Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069121767X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The first modern scholarly synthesis of animal domestication Across the globe and at different times in the past millennia, the evolutionary history of domesticated animals has been greatly affected by the myriad, complex, and diverse interactions humans have had with the animals closest to them. The Process of Animal Domestication presents a broad synthesis of this subject, from the rich biology behind the initial stages of domestication to how the creation of breeds reflects cultural and societal transformations that have impacted the biosphere. Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra draws from a wide range of fields, including evolutionary biology, zooarchaeology, ethnology, genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary morphology to provide a fresh perspective to this classic topic. Relying on various conceptual and technical tools, he examines the natural history of phenotypes and their developmental origins. He presents case studies involving mammals, birds, fish, and insect species, and he highlights the importance of domestication for the comprehension of evolution, anatomy, ontogeny, and dozens of fundamental biological processes. Bringing together the most current developments, The Process of Animal Domestication will interest a wide range of readers, from evolutionary biologists, developmental biologists, and geneticists to anthropologists and archaeologists.