Kovaka, Karen (2016) Underdetermination and evidence in the developmental plasticity debate. In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

I identify a controversial hypothesis in evolutionary biology called the plasticity-first hypothesis. I argue that the plasticity-first hypothesis is underdetermined and that the most popular means of studying the plasticity-first hypothesis are insufficient to confirm or disconfirm it. I offer a strategy for overcoming this problem. Researchers need to develop a richer middle range theory of plasticity-first evolution that allows them to identify distinctive empirical traces of the hypothesis. They can then use those traces to discriminate between rival explanations of evolutionary episodes. The best tools for developing such a middle range theory are experimental evolution and formal modeling.

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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Kovaka, Karen kkovaka@sas.upenn.edu
Keywords:	developmental plasticity; underdetermination; confirmation; extended synthesis; phenotypic novelty
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Experimentation
Depositing User:	Karen Kovaka
Date Deposited:	02 Nov 2016 14:44
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2016 14:44
Item ID:	12587
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Experimentation
Date:	2016
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/12587

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