Arguments on Evolution: A Paleontologist's Perspective

9780195044430

0195044436

This book surveys the current debates in evolutionary theory from a paleontological perspective, discussing such controversial topics as punctuated equilibrium, species selection, mass extinctions, and taxonomic diversification of the biosphere. These ideas are critically reviewed and presented in the context of a broad background: the neodarwinian paradigm of modern evolutionary biology, the potential and limitations of the fossil record as a source of data on organic evolution, and the methodology of evolutionary interpretation of paleontological data. The author argues that much current research leads us astray, and proposes that another interpretation of the history of the biosphere be adopted--one based on the assumption that there are no general laws, that large-scale historical biological patterns merely reflect a summation of smaller-scale phenomena, and that none of these components must be neglected in our attempts to explain the larger patterns. Clear and concise, this book will be invaluable to scientists and students and accessible to interested lay readers.