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Holism, Individualism, and the Units of Selection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2022

Elliott Sober
Elliott Sober*
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Extract

The units of selection problem, as it is discussed within evolutionary theory, recapitulates some important elements in the dispute between methodological holism and methodological individualism. Holism and individualism have for a long time occupied favored positions in the stable of old warhorses owned and operated by philosophers of social science. These particular old warhorses are thought by many to be in retirement, although there is less than universal agreement about whether holism or individualism won the battle. Part of the point I will make about group versus individual selection is that biologists, would do well not to emulate certain aspects of the holism/individualism controversy.

Type
Part II. Unity of Science— Group Selection and Sociobiology
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1980 , Issue 2: Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers 1980 , 1980 , pp. 93 - 121
Copyright
Copyright © 1981 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

I am very grateful to James Crow, David Hull, Richard Lewontin, and William Wimsatt. Discussions with them have been invaluable to me in developing my ideas on evolutionary theory in general and on group selection in particular. The research discussed here was supported by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and by the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I also wish to thank the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for its hospitality during 1980-81.

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