Convergence and Parallelism in Evolution: A Neo-Gouldian Account

Determining whether a homoplastic trait is the result of convergence or parallelism is central to many of the most important contemporary discussions in biology and philosophy: the relation between evolution and development, the importance of constraints on variation, and the role of contingency in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal for the philosophy of science 2012-06, Vol.63 (2), p.429-448
Main Author: Pearce, Trevor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological evolution
Biology
Convergence
Convergent evolution
Evolution
Evolutionary biology
Externalism
Genetic screening
Gould, Stephen Jay
Parallel evolution
Personality traits
Phenotypes
Phenotypic traits
Structural homology
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Summary:Determining whether a homoplastic trait is the result of convergence or parallelism is central to many of the most important contemporary discussions in biology and philosophy: the relation between evolution and development, the importance of constraints on variation, and the role of contingency in evolution. In this article, I show that two recent attempts to draw a black-or-white distinction between convergence and parallelism fail, albeit for different reasons. Nevertheless, I argue that we should not be afraid of gray areas: a clarified version of S. J. Gould's earlier account, based on a separation of underlying developmental mechanisms from the realized trait, still represents a useful approach.
ISSN:0007-0882
1464-3537
DOI:10.1093/bjps/axr046