Orthogenesis versus Darwinism

About this book

Orthogenesis is the biological hypothesis that organisms have an innate tendency to evolve in a definite direction towards some goal. Orthogenesis versus Darwinism reviews the convoluted history of orthogenesis with an emphasis of non-English sources, untangles relationships between various concepts of directed evolution and argues whether orthogenesis has something to offer modern biology.

Darwinism claims that evolution occurs by selection from an extensive random variability. An alternative viewpoint – that the material for variability is limited and organisms are predisposed to vary in certain directions – is the essence of evolutionary concepts that can be grouped together under the name of orthogenesis. Dating back to Lamarck, orthogenesis has existed in many guises. Branded as mystical and discarded as unscientific, it keeps re-emerging in evolutionary discussions.

Contents

Part 1. Orthogenesis: a history
Chapter 1. The sources. Formation of the concept of directed evolution in the 19th century
Chapter 2. Evolutionary biology at the turn of the 20th century. New concepts of directed evolution in the 1900-1930s
Chapter 3. Declarations in favour of orthogenesis in the 1900-1930s
Chapter 4. Orthogenesis and the modern evolutionary synthesis
Chapter 5. New concepts of directed evolution in the recent history of evolutionary biology
Chapter 6. Statements in support of orthogenesis in the 1950s and later

Part 2. Orthogenesis: Pro et Contra
Chapter 7. "Laws" in biology
Chapter 8. Species senescence
Chapter 9. Adaptation or non-adaptation?
Chapter 10. Anticipation, parallelisms and convergences
Chapter 11. Constraints on variation
Chapter 12. Direct impact of the environment on evolution and the inheritance of acquired characteristics
Chapter 13. Mystics or unrealised synthesis?
Chapter 14. Conclusion

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