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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Organic Progress and Evolutionary Theory

Organic Progress and Evolutionary Theory

Cesare, Silvia de

Hardcover

Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Biology

Philosophy

ISBN10: 1009644637
ISBN13: 9781009644631
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: Mar 12 2026
Pages: 92
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.25 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Progress is defined as change towards the better. This definition, comprising both a descriptive and a normative element, can be applied in the organic domain to the history of living organisms. If evolutionary biologists struggle to live with organic progress, they also seem unable to live without it. Are there any theoretical arguments for using the normative terms 'good' and 'better' within evolutionary theory? How do we clarify the idea that some 'change towards the better' is conceptually implied by evolutionary theory? The author argues that there are specific kinds of value, that is, organic value, that allow us to speak meaningfully about improvements in living beings. A large part of this Element is devoted to showing how this applies to the concept of adaptation at a local scale. The final section broadens the investigation to a global scale, tentatively suggesting evolvability as a promising candidate for global progress.

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