species and roles

[John Grehan]

Carmine Colacino wrote

>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.

What is doubly interesting is this curious "forgetfulness" of Mayr
regarding perspectives he does not like. Like Gould, Mayr knows full well
the alternative view of orthogenesis, but it never qualifies for mention.
Like Gould, Mayr cannot seem to do it any more than he can acknowledge the
existence of Croizat (although he slipped once by publishing in the same
year a book in which Croizat and panbiogeography (and non-teleological
orthogenesis) did not exist, and another publication in which he admited to
knowledge of such works. Evolution is a strange endevor indeed!

Perhaps Mayr's book should be titled "This is Mayr's biology".

John Grehan