Science 240

Study Guide #7

Evolutionary theory and the nature of science

1. You should be able to give a precise description of the following concepts and explain their importance in the context of the course. You should also be able to discuss the connections, similarities, and differences between appropriate pairs of concepts.

2. Some philosophers and scientists have claimed that the theory of natural selection is not really scientific because it is tautological. Precisely what is the nature of the objection? Is it a valid claim? Justify your answer.
3. The primary component of explanations in physics and chemistry are universal laws and principles that are not spatiotemporally restricted. Explain how and why explanations of evolutionary phenomena typically differ from those in physics and chemistry. You may want to use the extinction of dinosaurs as an example.
4. Can hypotheses about the cause of historical events be subjected to tests like those about the cause of contemporary phenomena? For example, an experiment cannot be done to determine whether an asteroid caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Does this mean that the hypothesis is untestable? Explain your answer using examples, either those from the readings and lecture or your own.
5. One goal of sociobiologists is to provide an evolutionary explanation for human behavior. Using extra-pair copulation in mallards and rape in humans as an example, discuss the extent to which evolutionary scenarios developed to understand animal behavior may also be applied to understand human behavior. Pay careful attention to the problem of anthropomorphism, and also take care not to forget that biologists, in general, and sociobiologists, in particular, regard humans as a species of animal.
6. In light of what you've learned about evolutionary theory and the concept of adaptation, discuss and evaluate claims that in principle biology reduces to chemistry and physics, and that in practice biologists should actually focus on providing physical and chemical explanations for evolutionary phenomena.
7. Are evolutionary biology and creation science equally scientific in status? Critically discuss this issue in light of ideas about internal and external virtues of theories and of criteria for determining what counts as good science.
8. Given that certain evolutionary hypotheses, e.g., the impact hypothesis for the extinction of dinosaurs, cannot be made the subject of experiment and that experiments are the foundation of physical sciences, should evolutionary hypotheses be regarded as scientific? Discuss your answer in light of the ideal of the unity of science, especially with respect to methodological unity. What implications does your answer have for a realist interpretation of science? for a non-Kuhnian instrumentalist view of science? for a Kuhnian instrumentalist view of science?
9. Should creation science be taught as part of the biology curriculum in schools and colleges? Why or why not? Be sure to indicate whether your answer depends on a realist conception of science, a non-Kuhnian instrumentalist conception of science, a Kuhnian instrumentalist conception of science, or is independent of all these conceptions.
10. Creationists frequently argue in favor of the equal scientific status of creation science and evolutionary theory on the grounds that creation science and evolutionary biology are empirically equivalent. Any piece of data that the biologist present can be explained by saying "God made it that way." Critically evaluate the claims of creation scientists from the perspective of realists, non-Kuhnian instrumentalists, and Kuhnian instrumentalists.
11. Creationists frequently argue in favor of the equal scientific status of creation science and evolutionary theory using Kuhnian ideas of paradigms and incommensurability
    1. Explain how creation scientists might use Kuhnian ideas to justify their position.
    2. Critically evaluate the validity of their argument by considering whether they apply Kuhn's ideas accurately and the extent to which Kuhn's philosophy itself is valid. Note: Think carefullly about Kuhn's description of normal science, and his ideas of how later science differs from earlier science.
12. Describe the "QWERTY phenomenon" and explain how it is relevant to understanding the phenomenon of historical possibility in evolutionary biology. You may want to use the fact that all land vertebrates have only four limbs as an example.