Luque, Víctor J. and Baravalle, Lorenzo (2021) The Mirror of Physics: On how the Price equation can unify Evolutionary Biology. Synthese, 199. pp. 12439-12462. ISSN 0039-7857
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Abstract
Due to its high degree of complexity and its historical nature, evolutionary biology has been traditionally portrayed as a messy science. According to the supporters of such a view, evolutionary biology would be unable to formulate laws and robust theories, instead just delivering coherent narratives and local models. In this article, our aim is to challenge this view by showing how the Price equation can work as the core of a general theoretical framework for evolutionary phenomena. To support this claim, we outline some unnoticed structural similarities between physical theories (in particular, classical mechanics) and evolutionary biology. More specifically, we shall argue that the Price equation, in the same way as fundamental formalisms in physics, can serve as a heuristic principle to formulate and systematise different theories and models in evolutionary biology.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Evolutionary biology, Price equation, complexity, metatheoretical structuralism, guiding principle, classical mechanics | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Víctor Luque | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 21 Feb 2026 20:27 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 21 Feb 2026 20:27 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 28301 | |||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Synthese | |||||||||
| Official URL: | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-0... | |||||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03339-6 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Date: | 2021 | |||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 12439-12462 | |||||||||
| Volume: | 199 | |||||||||
| ISSN: | 0039-7857 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28301 |
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