A01=Daniel W. McShea
A01=Robert N. Brandon
adaptation
Author_Daniel W. McShea
Author_Robert N. Brandon
biodiversity
biology
Category=PSAJ
complexity
constraint
distinctness
diversity
drift
ecosystems
environment
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_science
evolution
habitat
heredity
hierarchy
macroevolution
measures
modularity
natural selection
nature
nonfiction
organism
philosophy
population
randomness
science
species
variety
zero-force evolutionary law
zfel
Product details
- ISBN 9780226562254
- Weight: 425g
- Dimensions: 17 x 24mm
- Publication Date: 15 Jul 2010
- Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Life on earth is characterized by three striking phenomena that demand explanation: adaptation - the marvelous fit between organism and environment; diversity - the great variety of organisms; and complexity - the enormous intricacy of their internal structure. Natural selection explains adaptation. But what explains diversity and complexity? Daniel W. McShea and Robert N. Brandon argue that there exists in evolution a spontaneous tendency toward increased diversity and complexity, one that acts whether natural selection is present or not. They call this tendency a biological law - the Zero-Force Evolutionary Law, or ZFEL. This law unifies the principles and data of biology under a single framework and invites a reconceptualization of the field of the same sort that Newton's First Law brought to physics. "Biology's First Law" shows how the ZFEL can be applied to the study of diversity and complexity and examines its wider implications for biology.
Intended for evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, and other scientists studying complex systems, and written in a concise and engaging format that speaks to students and interdisciplinary practitioners alike, this book will also find an appreciative audience in the philosophy of science.
Daniel W. McShea is associate professor of biology, with a secondary appointment in philosophy, and Robert N. Brandon is professor of philosophy, with a secondary appointment in biology, both at Duke University.
