LiteratureBase
Understanding Evolution As If By Design? The challenges and opportunities of reasoning about agency in evolutionary biology and society
Eirdosh, D. & Hanisch, S. (2022, preprint) Understanding Evolution As If By Design? The challenges and opportunities of reasoning about agency in evolutionary biology and society. OpenEvo Book Review and Commentary. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.26643.14884/2
Abstract
- Darwin’s theory of evolution provided a scientific explanation for the apparent design of adaptations in the natural world. In teaching students about evolution, educators sometimes rely on a contrast between ‘Darwinian evolution’ as a process of adaptation without purpose or goals, as opposed to adaptive design in the human realm, framed as a process driven by intentions. In his 2021, Cambridge University Press book, As if By Design: How Creative Behaviors Really Evolve, psychologist Edward Wasserman complexifies this simple dichotomy by exploring a selectionist account of human innovation through a collection of vignettes documenting stories of invention. Through these simple stories, Wasserman demonstrates that the “3 C’s”; the concepts of context, consequence, and coincidence, are helpful ingredients in the creation of scientifically adequate accounts of behavioral or cultural novelties. In this review, we briefly summarize the core argument from Wasserman, and reflect on the implications for students and teachers of evolution science.
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- Publication Type Preprint
- Concepts Agency, Cultural evolution, Design thinking, Evolution Education
- Relevant learning goals Conceptual Thinking, Design Thinking, Evolutionary Thinking, Interdisciplinary Thinking, Metacognitive Competency, Nature of Science
- Relevant subject areas Biology, ESD, Human Evolution, Interdisciplinary, Philosophy
