Milne-Edwards, Darwin, Durkheim and the Division of Labour: A Case Study in Reciprocal Conceptual Exchanges between the Social and the Natural Sciences

Limoges, Camille

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-3391-5_10

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The whole idea that there is a relation between size and the division of labor was first explored in human societies (see Limoges 1994). It is an old principle that we associate with the 18th century economist Adam Smith.…”

Section: Lessons From Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The history of the idea has been admirably examined by Camille Limoges (1994), who points out that the pioneer for considering the matter within organisms goes back to Henri Milne-Edwards who as early as 1827 declared that animals had a ''division of physiological labor.'' Limoges goes on to say that Darwin was favorably impressed by the writings of Milne-Edwards, who in turn influenced the pioneer in sociology, Emile Durkheim.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perspective: The Size-Complexity Rule

Bonner

2004

Evolution

111

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Abstract. It is widely accepted that bigger entities have a greater division of labor than smaller ones and this is reflected in the fact that larger multicellular organisms have a corresponding increase in the number of their cell types. This rule is examined in some detail from very small organisms to large animals, and plants, and societies. Compared to other size-related rules, the size-complexity rule is relatively rough and approximate, yet clearly it holds throughout the whole range of living organisms, as well as for societies. The relationship between size and complexity is analyzed by examining the effects of size increase and decrease: size increase requires an increase in complexity, whereas size decrease permits, and sometimes requires, a decrease in complexity. Conversely, an increase or decrease in complexity permits, but does not require changes in size. An especially compelling argument for the close relation between size and complexity can be found in size quorum sensing in very small multicellular organisms.

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Section: Lessons From Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective: The Size-Complexity Rule

Bonner

2004

Evolution

111

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“…4, p. 489 (26 November 1852. 98 Limoges, 1968Limoges, , 1994Schweber, 1980, p. 256;Ospovat, 1981, pp. 174-175. economy.…”

Section: Darwin Divergence and Places In The Economy Of Naturementioning

confidence: 98%

“…Cf. Kohn, 2008 On the origin of the principle of divergence, see Limoges, 1968Limoges, , 1994Browne, 1980;Schweber, 1980;Ospovat, 1981, pp. 170-190;Kohn, 1985;Beddall, 1988.…”

Section: Darwin Divergence and Places In The Economy Of Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

“A Great Complication of Circumstances” – Darwin and the Economy of Nature

Pearce

2009

J Hist Biol

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In 1749, Linnaeus presided over the dissertation "Oeconomia Naturae," which argued that each creature plays an important and particular role in nature's economy. This phrase should be familiar to readers of Darwin, for he claims in the Origin that "all organic beings are striving, it may be said, to seize on each place in the economy of nature." Many scholars have discussed the influence of political economy on Darwin's ideas. In this paper, I take a different tack, showing that Darwin's idea of an economy of nature stemmed from the views of earlier naturalists like Linnaeus and Lyell. I argue, in the first section of the paper, that Linnaeus' idea of oeconomia naturae is derived from the idea of the animal economy, and that his idea of politia naturae is an extension of the idea of a politia civitatis. In the second part, I explore the use of the concept of stations in the work of De Candolle and Lyell - the precursor to Darwin's concept of places. I show in the third part of the paper that the idea of places in an economy of nature is employed by Darwin at many key points in his thinking: his discussion of the Galapagos birds, his reading of Malthus, etc. Finally, in the last section, I demonstrate that the idea of a place in nature's economy is essential to Darwin's account of divergence. To tell his famous story of divergence and adaptation, Darwin needed the economy of nature.

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“…56 Geison (1978, p. 217, n. 35) thinks Foster learned of the physiological principle of the division of labour through Darwin's discussion of it in The Origin of Species (1859). On its introduction to biology by Henri Milne-Edwards (1800-1885) and Darwin's familiarity with it see Limoges, 1994 andSchweber, 1980. some limited portion of the nervous system. Evolution refuses to admit a sharp line of demarcation between a ''conscious'' and a ''nonconscious'' part, and this decision is increasingly supported as our knowledge of the nervous system advances''.…”

Section: Evolution and The Theory Of Common Descentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amoebae as Exemplary Cells: The Protean Nature of an Elementary Organism

Reynolds

2007

J Hist Biol

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In the nineteenth century protozoology and early cell biology intersected through the nexus of Darwin's theory of evolution. As single-celled organisms, amoebae offered an attractive focus of study for researchers seeking evolutionary relationships between the cells of humans and other animals, and their primitive appearance made them a favourite model for the ancient ancestor of all living things. Their resemblance to human and other metazoan cells made them popular objects of study among morphologists, physiologists, and even those investigating animal behaviour. The amoeba became the exemplar of the new protoplasmic cell concept of mid-century and because its apparent simplicity made it widely generalizable it became a popular subject in a breadth of experimental investigations and theoretical speculations. It was able to do this because "the amoeba" denotes not a particular organism, but a general type of behaviour common to the cells of a range of protozoa, simple plants and higher animals. Its status as an exemplary cell also rested upon auxiliary philosophical assumptions about what constitutes a primitive characteristic and the thesis that evolution is a progressive development of order from chaos.

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Milne-Edwards, Darwin, Durkheim and the Division of Labour: A Case Study in Reciprocal Conceptual Exchanges between the Social and the Natural Sciences

Cited by 24 publications

References 8 publications

Perspective: The Size-Complexity Rule

Perspective: The Size-Complexity Rule

“A Great Complication of Circumstances” – Darwin and the Economy of Nature

Amoebae as Exemplary Cells: The Protean Nature of an Elementary Organism

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