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Emergent Evolution

Qualitative Novelty and the Levels of Reality

  • Book
  • © 1992

Overview

Authors:
  1. David Blitz

    1. Central Connecticut State University, USA

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Part of the book series: Episteme (EPIS, volume 19)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
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  2. Introduction

    1. Introduction

      • David Blitz
      Pages 1-2

  3. The Background to Emergent Evolution

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 3-3
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    2. The Framework for Evolutionary Theory

      • Charles Darwin
      Pages 5-23

    3. Philosophy of Evolution

      • Herbert Spencer
      Pages 24-34

    4. Monism and Epiphenomenalism

      • T. H. Huxley
      Pages 35-42

    5. Evolution and the Supernatural

      • Alfred Russel Wallace
      Pages 43-49

    6. Evolution of Mind

      • G. J. Romanes
      Pages 50-56

  4. The Origin of Emergent Evolution

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 57-57
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    2. Lloyd Morgan’s Formative Period

      • David Blitz
      Pages 59-75

    3. Influences on Lloyd Morgan

      • J. S. Mill, G. H. Lewes, Henri Bergson, E. G. Spaulding, Walter T. Marvin
      Pages 76-90

    4. Lloyd Morgan’s Creative Synthesis

      • David Blitz
      Pages 91-97

    5. Lloyd Morgan’s System of Emergent Evolution

      • David Blitz
      Pages 98-109

  5. The Debate over Emergent Evolution

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 111-111
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    2. Other Systems of Emergent Evolution

      • Samuel Alexander, C. D. Broad, W. M. Wheeler, R. W. Sellars
      Pages 113-128

    3. Systems Related to Emergent Evolution

      • George P. Conger, Oliver L. Reiser, W. P. Montague, G. H. Mead, J. E. Boodin, J. C. Smuts et al.
      Pages 129-140

    4. Critical Reaction to Emergent Evolution

      • Stephen Pepper, Charles Baylis, William McDougall, Bertrand Russell
      Pages 141-150

    5. Further Discussion of Emergent Evolution

      • Donald Campbell, Roger Sperry, Ernst Mayr, Jonas Salk, Stanley Salthe, Karl Popper et al.
      Pages 151-173

    6. Conclusion

      • David Blitz
      Pages 175-183

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 185-241
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Keywords

About this book

Emergent evolution combines three separate but related claims, whose background, origin, and development I trace in this work: firstly, that evolution is a universal process of change, one which is productive of qualitative novelties; secondly, that qualitative novelty is the emergence in a system of a property not possessed by any of its parts; and thirdly, that reality can be analyzed into levels, each consisting of systems characterized by significant emergent properties. In part one I consider the background to emergence in the 19th century discussion of the philosophy of evolution among its leading exponents in England - Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer, T. H. Huxley, Alfred Russel Wallace, and G. J. Romanes. Unlike the scientific aspect of the debate which aimed to determine the factors and causal mechanism of biological evolution, this aspect of the debate centered on more general problems which form what I call the "philosophical framework for evolutionary theory." This considers the status of continuity and discontinuity in evolution, the role of qualitative and quantitative factors in change, the relation between the organic and the inorganic, the relation between the natural and the supernatural, the mind-body problem, and the scope of evolution, including its extension to ethics and morals.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Central Connecticut State University, USA

    David Blitz

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Emergent Evolution

  • Book Subtitle: Qualitative Novelty and the Levels of Reality

  • Authors: David Blitz

  • Series Title: Episteme

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8042-7

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 1992

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-1658-9Published: 30 April 1992

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-4141-8Published: 06 December 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-015-8042-7Published: 09 March 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 241

  • Topics: Philosophy of Science, History, general, Philosophy of Biology

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