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“The” Structure of Evolutionary Theory

Front Cover
28 Reviews
Harvard University Press, 2002 - Science - 1433 pages
The world's most revered and eloquent interpreter of evolutionary ideas offers here a work of explanatory force unprecedented in our time--a landmark publication, both for its historical sweep and for its scientific vision.

With characteristic attention to detail, Stephen Jay Gould first describes the content and discusses the history and origins of the three core commitments of classical Darwinism: that natural selection works on organisms, not genes or species; that it is almost exclusively the mechanism of adaptive evolutionary change; and that these changes are incremental, not drastic. Next, he examines the three critiques that currently challenge this classic Darwinian edifice: that selection operates on multiple levels, from the gene to the group; that evolution proceeds by a variety of mechanisms, not just natural selection; and that causes operating at broader scales, including catastrophes, have figured prominently in the course of evolution.

Then, in a stunning tour de force that will likely stimulate discussion and debate for decades, Gould proposes his own system for integrating these classical commitments and contemporary critiques into a new structure of evolutionary thought.

In 2001 the Library of Congress named Stephen Jay Gould one of America's eighty-three Living Legends--people who embody the "quintessentially American ideal of individual creativity, conviction, dedication, and exuberance." Each of these qualities finds full expression in this peerless work, the likes of which the scientific world has not seen--and may not see again--for well over a century.

  

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Review: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory

User Review  - Mark Longo - Goodreads

Dear god. I spent literally a year reading this tome - 1350 pages of tiny font, big ideas, and beautiful prose. At times torturous, at times rapturous, but always eloquent and deeply insightful, this ... Read full review

Review: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory

User Review  - Beth - Goodreads

Still an excellent read. Read full review

All 27 reviews »

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Contents

Chapter
1
Features of Darwinian Logic
12
Part I Chapters
23
Apologia Pro Vita Sua
24
Epitomes for a Long Development
48
Tiers of Time and Trials of Extrapolationism
87
The History of Darwinian Logic and Debate
91
Darwin as a Historical Methodologist
97
Logical and Empirical Foundations for the Theory
644
Bibliography 1344
685
A Speciational Basis for Macroevolution
714
With an Epilog on the Interaction of General Theory
733
Punctuated Equilibrium and the Validation
745
Locus of Change
796
Sources of Data for Testing Punctuated Equilibrium
822
The Dissection of Punctuations to Infer Both Existence
850

Darwin as a Philosophical Revolutionary
116
Critiques
128
Judgments of Importance
163
Seeds of Hierarchy
170
Progress and Deviation
186
An Interlude on Darwins Reaction
192
Germinal Selection
203
Solution to the Problem of the Delicate Arrangement
248
Two Ways to Glorify God in Nature
260
Grandeur of Taxonomic Order
271
Darwins Strong but Limited Interest in Structural Constraint
330
The Fruitful Facets of Gallons Polyhedron
342
World of Mollusks
365
World of Pigeons
383
A Second Formalist Strategy
396
Pattern and Progress on the Geological Stage
467
Uniformity on the Geological Stage
479
The Modern Synthesis as a Limited Consensus
503
Synthesis as Hardening
518
First 1937 and Last 1951 Edition of Dobzhanskys Genetics
524
Hardening on the Other Two Legs of the Darwinian Tripod
543
From Overstressed Doubt to Overextended Certainty
566
Segue to Part II
585
Species as Individuals in the Hierarchical
595
The Evolutionary Definition of Selective Agency and the Fallacy
613
Centered View of Evolution
616
The Broader Implications of Punctuated Equilibrium
874
Historical Constraint
968
A Largely Sociological and Fully Partisan History
972
The Integration of Constraint and Adaptation Structure
1004
General Theory of Change 952
1077
Mehr Licht More Light on Goethes Angiosperm Archetype
1092
Natural World 957
1096
Pharaonic Bricks and Corinthian Columns
1134
Does Evolutionary Change Often
1142
Setting of Historical Constraints in the Cambrian Explosion
1155
Channeling the Subsequent Directions of Bilaterian History
1161
An Epilog on Dobzhanskys Landscape and the Dominant
1173
The Strong
1175
The Integration of Constraint and Adaptation Structure
1179
Thompsonian Structuralism
1208
Exapting the Rich and Inevitable Spandrels of History
1214
How Exaptation Completes and Rationalizes the Terminology
1229
Exaptation and
1246
Therefore of Nonadaptation in Evolutionary Theory
1258
The Primary Claims of Punctuated Equilibrium 765
1264
The Proper Conceptual Formula
1270
CrossLevel Effects as Miltonic Spandrels Not Franklinian
1286
A Closing Comment to Resolve the Macroevolutionary Paradox
1294
Illustration Credits
1388
The Two Structural Themes of Internally Set Channels and Ease
1430
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

adaptation adaptationism adaptationist alternative anagenesis animals archetype argued argument Bateson become biological biologists catastrophic causal causes central Chapter clades claim complex concept constraint continuity Cuvier D'Arcy Thompson Darwin Darwinian defined differential direct empirical environment evolution evolutionary change evolutionary theory evolutionists example exaptation existence explanation favored force formalist fossil function functionalist genes genetic Geoffroy geological germinal selection Gould hierarchical higher level homology important individuals intellectual Lamarck lection lineages logic macroevolution macroevolutionary major mass extinction mechanism ment mode modern Modern Synthesis morphology mutation natural selection nonadaptive ontogeny operate organismal selection organisms Origin of Species orthogenesis paleontologists Paley pattern phenotypic phyletic physical populations potential primary principle progress punctuated equilibrium reasons recognized relative frequency replicators role saltational selectionist spandrels speciation species selection structuralist structure struggle Synthesis theme tion tradition trends uniformitarian units of selection utility validity variation vertebrates Vries Weismann

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References from web pages

The Structure of Evolutionary Theory - Wikipedia, the free ...
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (2002) is a technical book on macroevolutionary theory by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. ...
en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ The_Structure_of_Evolutionary_Theory

Harvard University Press: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by ...
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory: by Stephen Jay Gould, published by Harvard University Press.
www.hup.harvard.edu/ catalog/ GOUSTR.html?show=reviews

Gene Expression: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory blogging ...
Chapters read:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. And now there have been 5. Through 5 chapters of The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. Stupidly I only realized that ...
scienceblogs.com/ gnxp/ 2008/ 02/ the_structure_of_evolutionary_6.php

The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
A preconception of mine when I first started reading The Structure of Evolutionary theory was that natural selection as a scientific revolution (in the ...
evolutionarytheory.wordpress.com/

The Structure of Evolutionary Theory: Part 1
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by the late Stephen Jay Gould can be seen as a magnum opus describing evolutionary theory from its origins to where it ...
blogcritics.org/ archives/ 2005/ 05/ 20/ 060611.php

The structure of evolutionary theory by Stephen Jay Gould ...
All about The structure of evolutionary theory by Stephen Jay Gould. librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
www.librarything.com/ work/ 955052

The Structure of Evolutionary Theory | Whole Earth | Find Articles ...
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory from Whole Earth in Health provided free by Find Articles.
findarticles.com/ p/ articles/ mi_m0GER/ is_/ ai_93135813

washingtonpost.com: Grand Design
'The Structure of Evolutionary Theory' by Stephen Jay Gould. Reviewed by Michael Shermer Sunday, April 14, 2002; Page BW04. THE STRUCTURE OF EVOLUTIONARY ...
www.washingtonpost.com/ ac2/ wp-dyn/ A34595-2002Apr11?language=printer

A few words about evolution : Article : Nature
In The Structure of Evolutionary Theory Gould makes a direct, intellectually rigorous argument that a hierarchical perspective would not only enrich modern ...
www.nature.com/ nature/ journal/ v416/ n6883/ full/ 416787a.html

Evolution's past and future: An introduction and partial précis to ...
In The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, his last and largest book on evolution, Stephen Jay Gould conceives of the structure of evolutionary theory since ...
cat.inist.fr/ ?aModele=afficheN& cpsidt=15367997

About the author (2002)

Stephen Jay Gould was the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University and Vincent Astor Visiting Professor of Biology at New York University. A MacArthur Prize Fellow, he received innumerable honors and awards and wrote many books, includingOntogeny and PhylogenyandTime's Arrow, Time's Cycle(both from Harvard).

Bibliographic information

QR code for “The” Structure of Evolutionary Theory
Title“The” Structure of Evolutionary Theory
AuthorStephen Jay Gould
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherHarvard University Press, 2002
ISBN0674006135, 9780674006133
Length1433 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Science / Life Sciences / Evolution
Science / Study & Teaching
Science / System Theory
  
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