Darwin and the Environment

Steffes, David

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139026895.050

Cited by 1 publication

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“…26–28; Naess, 2005, pp. 343–347; Krause, 2016; Shrader-Frechette, 2008; Steffes, 2013, p. 392). Species interact and evolve simultaneously in an open world that, as such, it is not predetermined to favor any of them and does not deliver an evolutionary future written in advance.…”

Section: The Natural Order According To Darwinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This scenario is certainly nonfictional. Biologists argue that “Darwin’s faith in this perpetual diversification of life had been misplaced; the effectiveness of evolutionary process in generating diversity could not be ensured in a world dominated by humans” (Steffes, 2013, p. 396). If this is the case, we might say, in Darwin’s language, that as far as human class has become the main evolutionary force (Chisholm & Burbank, 2001; Goonatilake, 1999), artificial selection is instigating the antievolutionary tendencies that biologists report (Bostrom, 2004; Ceballos et al, 2017; Palumbi, 2001).…”

Section: The Risks Of a Metaphormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fatal asymmetries

Sanchez

2021

Polit. life sci.

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In Descent of Man, Charles Darwin noted the impact of political institutions on natural selection. He thought that institutions such as asylums or hospitals may deter natural selection; however, he did not reach a decisive answer. Questions remain as to whether the selective impacts of political institutions, which in Darwin’s terms may be referred to as “artificial selection,” are compatible with natural selection, and if so, to what extent. This essay argues that currently there appears to be an essential mismatch between nature and political institutions. Unfitted institutions put exogenous and disproportionate pressures on living beings. This creates consequences for what is postulated as the condition of basic equivalence, which allows species and individuals to enjoy similar chances of survival under natural circumstances. Thus, contrary to Darwin’s expectations, it is sustained that assumed natural selection is not discouraged but becomes exacerbated by political institutions. In such conditions, selection becomes primarily artificial and perhaps mainly political, with consequences for species’ evolutionary future.

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Section: The Natural Order According To Darwinmentioning

confidence: 99%