Abstract
The general discussion focuses on some aspects that are of overarching relevance for all the preceding chapters. The first subject that is discussed is the relationship between systems theory and the philosophy of science. After a short summary of the principles of system science and the philosophy of science, the criteria are discussed that a ranking must meet in order to be viewed as a scientific ranking. The second subject concerns the relationship between the objects-based graph-pattern of Darwinian evolution and the extended evolutionary synthesis. Thirdly, attention is paid to the question of how to deal with the new terminology about patterns of Darwinian evolution, compared to the classical terminology about evolution as a process. It is proposed that the concept of generational morphing could be used as an alternative term for the use of evolution as a process. The discussion of these general subjects serves as a stepping stone towards the detailed discussions (in Chap. 18) of the points that are raised by our reviewers.
“Science is a vast fiduciary system. Scientists know what they do by finding trustworthy sources and then trusting them. It is also what Polanyi called a polycentric system, in which autonomous and only loosely coordinated groups of specialists—mildly sceptical and mainly trusting—periodically keep an eye out for what is going on next door. The coherence and integrity of the body of scientific knowledge arise through these processes of mutual adjustment. Finally the bases of scientific judgment cannot be completely articulated because the ‘tacit’ dimension is ineliminable. It is not a fly in the formal ointment; it is what makes science science. You would understand that, Polanyi suggested, if you knew what it was like to be ‘confronted with the anxious dilemma of a live scientific issue. The further away ywou are from the quotidian life of scientific practice, the more you tend to be infatuated with myths of method.” (Michael Polanyi’s idea of “tacit knowledge” as espoused by Steven Shapin in The London Review of Books, 15th December 2011: Polanyi, M. 1962. Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy. Psychology Press)
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Jagers op Akkerhuis, G.A.J.M. (2016). General Discussion. In: Jagers op Akkerhuis, G. (eds) Evolution and Transitions in Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43802-3_16
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