species and roles

[Thomas Schlemmermeyer]

Sorry, as I am (still) reading Mayr's book "This is biology", I only want to
add to the below given information, that E. Mayr summarizes under
"orthogenesis" teleological concepts in evolution, such as aristogenesis,
nomogenesis and Chardin's omega view (whatever all these vague terms may
include).
Of course, it is interesting to read that he may have misunderstood the history
of biology.


On (         Tue, 16 Nov 1999 18:20:47 +0100),         Carmine Colacino
<colacino at UNIBAS.IT> wrote:


>> Stefan Koenemann wrote
>>
>>>Terms like 'biological fate' and 'evolutionary role and tendencies' are
>>>certainly vague, kind of wishy-washy, suggesting inevitable destination
>>>(orthogenesis, to throw in another hard-digestible bite!).
>>
>> Sorry, I have to jump on that. Characterising orthogenesis this way is a
>> product of propaganda promulgated by Simpson, Mayr, Gould, and many other
>> supporters of Darwinain models of evolution.
>>
>
>> John Grehan
>>
>
>I agree, John was faster than me in pointing this out.
>Orthogenesis does not imply any "inevitable" destination, but it only refers
>to initial state's constraints
>
>--
>Dr. Carmine Colacino
>Herbarium Lucanum & Dept. of Biology
>University of Basilicata
>85100 Potenza, southern Italy
>Tel. ++39/097-120-2216; Fax ++39/097-120-2256
>e-mail: colacino at unibas.it
>url: http://www.unibas.it/utenti/colacino/mediterraneo.html
>


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Thomas Schlemmermeyer
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