Natural Order and Complexity: Paley,
Lamarck, Vico, and the Book of Genesis
A discussion of the notion of natural order with reference to the
development of evolutionary thought. The inherent weakness of Paley's
creationist argument for intelligent design is discussed preparing the
ground for the examination of one crucial insight in evolutionary
theory: the notion that rationality requires that complex phenomena
should be preceded by simple phenomena and that they derive from them.
The development of this insight is examined in the evolutionary biology
of Lamack and in the cultural evolutionism of Vico. A discussion of the
Great Chain of Being and mythical creation stories such as Genesis shows
that this rationality is grounded in forms of thought prior to
evolutionism — that is, that the complex thought of evolutionary theory
derives from simpler proto-evolutionary insights that are to be found as
far back as creationist myths of origin. The perspectival problems
attending the study of the development of evolutionary thought, notably
hindsight bias, are also discussed with reference to the work of Vico.
Note: Downloadable document is in Spanish.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 17Keywords: Evolution, Evolutionism, Creationism, Intelligent design, Natural philosophy, Natural order, Natural science, Lamarck, Darwin, Vico, Genesis, Hindsight bias, Complexity, Nature, Biology
_____. "El orden natural y la complejidad: Paley,
Lamarck, Vico y el Génesis." Academia
28 Dec. 2016.
_____. "El orden natural y la complejidad: Paley,
Lamarck, Vico y el Génesis." ResearchGate
29 Dec. 2016.*
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