A philosophical discussion of conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the scientific use of the term ‘fitness’ to describe a property of evolving systems.
Keywords: fitness; tautology; Social Darwinism; propensity
Fitness: Philosophical Problems
James B Maclaurin, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Published online: April 2001
DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003443
| Further Reading | |
| Cody M (1966) A general theory of clutch size. Evolution 20: 174–184. | |
| book Darwin C (1869) On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. New York: D Appleton. | |
| Gould SJ and Lewontin R (1979) The spandrels of San Marco and the panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B205: 581–598. | |
| Mills S and Beatty J (1979) The propensity interpretation of fitness. Philosophy of Science 46: 263–288. | |
| book Popper K (1963) Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. | |
| Scriven M (1959) Explanation and prediction in evolutionary theory. Science 130: 477–482. | |
| book Sober E (1993) Philosophy of Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. | |
| book Spenser H (1866) The Principles of Biology. New York: D Appleton. | |
| book Sterelny K and Griffiths PE (1999) Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. | |
| book Thoday JM (1958) "Natural selection and biological progress". In: Barnett SA (ed.) A Century of Darwin, pp. 313–334. London: Heinemann. | |
