Mathematical challenges to the neo-Darwinian interpretation of evolution

by Paul S. Moorhead (editor)

English, French

Genres: Evolution, Science

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a layman like me without a degree in biology, this book was difficult to read. The book contained roughly 8 papers presented at a conference on evolution. The papers were followed by discussion among the conference participants. This was the most interesting part of the book. In addition to me not understanding what the papers were saying, the other scientists at the conference often did not understand either. And even when they were talking back and forth, they still often could not understand what the other was saying.

I was expecting most of the book to be challenges to the neo-Darwinian interpretation of evolution, but in fact, I think only two or maybe three of the papers questioned it. The others, it seemed to me, were defending it. I say "it seemed to me" because it was hard for me to understand what they were saying with their unnecessarily complex language -- the type of language you see in published papers.

The chair person of the conference made the statement at one point that the assumptions in the mathematical models had to be changed to values which would show that evolution works, because obviously Darwinian evolution did happen.

One of the scientists who challenged the neo Darwinian interpretation compared the coneection between genes and physical bodies to the way the text of a computer program tells a computer to perform meaningful operations. What are the chances that you can build a computer program to perform a complex task by randomly mutating characters in the computer program? And remember, the computer program has to function after every mutation. I thought it was the best point in the book, yet the biologists had no idea what he was saying.