The indeterministic character of evolutionary theory: No ''no hidden variables proof'' but no room for determinism either

被引:62
作者
Brandon, RN [1 ]
Carson, S [1 ]
机构
[1] DUKE UNIV,DEPT ZOOL,DURHAM,NC 27708
关键词
D O I
10.1086/289915
中图分类号
N09 [自然科学史]; B [哲学、宗教];
学科分类号
01 [哲学]; 0101 [哲学]; 010108 [科学技术哲学]; 060207 [中国近代史]; 060305 [世界专门史]; 0712 [科学技术史];
摘要
In this paper we first briefly review Bell's (1964, 1966) Theorem to see how it invalidates any deterministic ''hidden variable'' account of the apparent indeterminacy of quantum mechanics (QM). Then we show that quantum uncertainty, at the level of DNA mutations, can ''percolate'' up to have major populational effects. Interesting as this point may be it does not show any autonomous indeterminism of the evolutionary process. In the next two sections we investigate drift and natural selection as the locus of autonomous biological indeterminacy. Here we conclude that the population-level indeterminacy of natural selection and drift are ultimately based on the assumption of a fundamental indeterminacy at the Level of the lives and deaths of individual organisms. The following section examines this assumption and defends it from the determinists' attack. Then we show that, even if one rejects the assumption, there is still an important reason why one might think evolutionary theory (ET) is autonomously indeterministic. In the concluding section we contrast the arguments we have mounted against a deterministic hidden variable account of ET with the proof of the impossibility of such an account of QM.
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页码:315 / 337
页数:23
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