Implications of Use of Wright’s for the Role of Probability and Causation in Evolution

Sewall Wright’s is a mathematical test used to characterize differences between biological populations and identify causes of those differences. I discuss Cockerham and Weir’s popular, empirically successful approach to statistical estimation of , arguing that their assumption that actual population...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of science 2012-12, Vol.79 (5), p.596-608
Main Author: Abrams, Marshall
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Biological evolution
Censuses
Evolution
Evolutionary genetics
Genetic loci
Natural selection
Population genetics
Population size
Probabilities
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Summary:Sewall Wright’s is a mathematical test used to characterize differences between biological populations and identify causes of those differences. I discuss Cockerham and Weir’s popular, empirically successful approach to statistical estimation of , arguing that their assumption that actual populations are sampled from an infinite set of counterfactual populations (with a common ancestral population) supports a view of natural selection and genetic drift as distinct causes. I also argue that the way in whichF-statistics and other statistical tests are applied to computer simulations in empirical research shows that selection and drift correspond to differences in objective, causal probabilities.
ISSN:0031-8248
1539-767X
DOI:10.1086/667905