The metaphor of mechanism in some evolutionary conceptions
A.A. Pozdnyakov
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals of the Siberian Branch of the RAS, Novosibirsk
Keywords: methodology of biology, theoretical biology, evolutionary theory, orthogenesis, metaphor of mechanism
Abstract
Those who follow orthogenetic conceptions focus their attention on directivity of evolution and reckon a great number of various views emphasizing this point with orthogenesis. But none of evolutionary conceptions denies directivity of evolution, so their common feature is rather their antagonistic relation to Darwinism. A considerable part of orthogenetic conceptions bases on the metaphor of mechanism, Newtonian picture of the world may serve as an analogue of the latter. Thus, this group of conceptions uses a «force» approach to the problem of evolution, i.e. they say that directivity of evolution is determined by a universal cause which has a mechanical nature. Similarly to Newtonian picture of the world, we may mark out three main components in orthogenetic conceptions: the idea of morphophysiological structure of individuals, the idea of a force changing a structure to improve it, and the idea of external conditions deflecting the change of a structure from the way of complication.
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