stinking functionalists

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Wed Oct 6 08:03:20 PDT 1999


"Mr P.A. Van Heusden" wrote:


> None of this means that the existence of a trait means that that trait
> is a 'response' to natural selection.

This is the essential point to keep in mind to avoid teleology -- the equation of natural selection with some Nature God/Goddess. The appearance of a trait is purely contingent; its *preservation* a matter of selection and/or piggy-back riding on other traits.

Carrol



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