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Natural Selection Research Paper

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“Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural selection.” How useful is this metaphor?

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin, the father of the evolutionary theory, along with Alfred Wallace, a fellow naturalist, produced a joint publication introducing the world to a phenomenon that is applicable not only to the living species of the planet, but also every aspect of growth, knowledge and lifestyles throughout history- the theory of evolution and natural selection. Darwin stated that natural selection is a process through which organisms and species adapt to their environment. Through natural …show more content…

This branch of philosophy refers to three distinct topics- 1) the biological evolution of cognitive mechanisms in animals and humans; 2) a theory that knowledge itself evolves by natural selection; and 3) the study of the historical discovery of new abstract entities. While evolutionary epistemology refers to the theory that applies the concepts of biological evolution and stages of the development of an organism to the growth of human knowledge, it also argues that knowledge, especially scientific theories, evolve according to the principles of natural selection. However, the development of knowledge can be in the form of additions to and/or consistent modifications of the existing knowledge, the initiation and growth of knowledge, the degree of acceptance of old and new knowledge or its evolution over and throughout time in a particular environment.

This leads us to the claim- “Evolution of knowledge is based on the adaptation and the ability to give birth to new knowledge.” To answer this claim and support the ever-evolving knowledge, it is important to consider 'falsification of theories' as one of the possible reasons of development and evolution of …show more content…

The new shared knowledge in the new theory proposed and proved by Singer and Nicholson was built on the premise to be 'fitter' and 'more applicable' in a particular area of Natural

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