What are the Units of Language Evolution?

2021

J Gen Philos Sci

Applied Evolutionary Epistemology is a scientific-philosophical theory that defines evolution as the set of phenomena whereby units evolve at levels of ontological hierarchies by mechanisms and processes. This theory also provides a methodology to study evolution, namely, studying evolution involves identifying the units that evolve, the levels at which they evolve, and the mechanisms and processes whereby they evolve. Identifying units and levels of evolution in turn requires the development of ontological hierarchy theories, and examining mechanisms and processes necessitates theorizing about causality. Together, hierarchy and causality theories explain how biorealities form and diversify with time. This paper analyzes how Applied EE redefines both hierarchy and causality theories in the light of the recent explosion of network approaches to causal reasoning associated with studies on reticulate and macroevolution. Causality theories have often been framed from within a rigid, ladder-like hierarchy theory where the rungs of the ladder represent the different levels, and the elements on the rungs represent the evolving units. Causality then is either defined reductionistically as an upward movement along the strands of a singular hierarchy, or holistically as a downward movement along that same hierarchy. Upward causation theories thereby analyze causal processes in time, i.e. over the course of natural history or phylogenetically, as Darwin and the founders of the Modern Synthesis intended. Downward causation theories analyze causal processes in space, ontogenetically or ecologically, as the current eco-evo-devo schools are evidencing. This work demonstrates how macroevolution and reticulate evolution theories add to the complexity by examining reticulate causal processes in space-time, and the interactional hierarchies that such studies bring forth introduce a new form of causation that is here called reticulate causation. Reticulate causation occurs between units and levels belonging to different as well as to the same ontological hierarchies. This article concludes that beyond recognizing the existence of multiple units, levels, and mechanisms or processes of evolution, also the existence of multiple kinds of evolutionary causation as well as the existence of multiple evolutionary hierarchies needs to be acknowledged. This furthermore implies that evolution is a pluralistic process divisible into different kinds.

Section: Applied Ee As a Methods For Evolutionary Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Applied Ee As a Methods For Evolutionary Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Linear Hierarchies and Successive Or Consecutive Causalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hierarchies, Networks, and Causality: The Applied Evolutionary Epistemological Approach

2021

J Gen Philos Sci

“…The exact units and levels, how they form hierarchies, and how they evolve, by which mechanisms and processes, remain poorly understood. Here, an applied evolutionary epistemological approach can help with identifying these elements (Gontier 2017(Gontier , 2018. This point is revisited in the last section of this paper.…”

Section: Languagementioning

confidence: 98%

“…AEE defines evolution as that what occurs when units evolve at levels of ontological hierarchies by mechanisms and processes. Numerous units can be identified to underlie both communication and language, ranging from gene-protein networks, to anatomical, behavioral, or cognitive traits, and traits that typify the symbolic systems (Gontier 2017(Gontier , 2018. Units that underlie communication have here been shown to minimally evolve at a physical, biochemical, cellular, community, and technological level.…”

Section: Toward An Applied Evolutionary Epistemological Approach To C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining Communication and Language from Within a Pluralistic Evolutionary Worldview

2022

Topoi

New definitions are proposed for communication and language. Communication is defined as the evolution of physical, biochemical, cellular, community, and technological information exchange. Language is defined as community communication whereby the information exchanged comprises evolving individual and group-constructed knowledge and beliefs, that are enacted, narrated, or otherwise conveyed by evolving rule-governed and meaningful symbol systems, that are grounded, interpreted, and used from within evolving embodied, cognitive, ecological, sociocultural, and technological niches. These definitions place emphasis on the evolutionary aspects of communication and language, and they are here differentiated from four older paradigms that instead focus either on the referential or social aspects of language, or the informational or semantic aspects of communication. In contrast with these paradigms, the definitions proposed here for communication and language are in line with a pluralistic evolutionary worldview, one that necessitates the recognition that a multitude of units, levels, mechanisms and processes are involved in bringing forth communication and language.

Evolutionary Epistemology: Two Research Avenues, Three Schools, and A Single and Shared Agenda

Bradie

2021

J Gen Philos Sci

This special issue for the Journal for General Philosophy of Science is devoted to exploring the impact and many ramifications of current research in evolutionary epistemology. Evolutionary epistemology (EE) is an inter-and multidisciplinary area of research that can be divided into two ever-inclusive research avenues. One research avenue expands on the EEM program and investigates the epistemology of evolution. The other research avenue builds on the EET program and researches the evolution of epistemology. Since its conception, EE has developed three schools of thought: adaptationist, non-adaptationist, and applied EE. Although diverse in outlook and theoretical background, these research avenues and schools share the same agenda of understanding how knowledge evolves, and how it relates to the world. In this paper, we first explain wherefrom evolutionary epistemological schools of thought developed, and then we highlight current debates in EE by briefly reviewing the papers that form part of this special issue.