Abstract: Evolutionary epistemology is a controversial approach to the study of knowledge and scientific theory change. It draws on biological evolutionary theories in natural science, but is sometimes exaggerated into universal evolutionism or general Darwinism. The most popular example of evolutionary epistemology, Richard Dawkins's notion of “memes,” has failed to provide a robust agent‐oriented sociocultural theory. A wide consensus currently holds that evolutionary epistemology is necessarily based on the ideology of naturalism in contrast with theism. Nevertheless, new applications of evolutionary approaches are available for elaboration, including work in Big History and post‐Darwinist biology and genetics, some of which is also being done by theists and nontheists who reject evolutionary naturalism. The entry highlights Russian evolutionary thought in particular as a way of opening new conversations and perceptions of the field.
Publication Year: 2017
Publication Date: 2017-12-04
Language: en
Type: other
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 27
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