My species article online at RNCSE 19 Dec 2007 A little while back I published an article on species concepts in Reports of the National Center for Science Education, and I just discovered that it is available on the web. This is actually abetter format than the published version, which has weird columns and layout. The citation is Wilkins, John S. 2006. Species, Kinds, and Evolution. Reports of the National Center for Science Education 26 (4): 36-45. Evolution Species and systematics
Biology Humans are the only animals that… 11 Jul 201311 Jul 2013 Psychologist Daniel Gilbert once wrote on the unwritten vow taken by psychologists: Few people realise that psychologists also take a vow, promising that at some point in their professional lives they will publish a book, a chapter or at least an article that contains the sentence: ‘The human being is… Read More
Biology Are species theoretical objects? 27 Oct 201328 Oct 2013 [Note: this is a paper that has sat in my drawer for a while now. I am posting it to follow from my last post on the theological origins of species. If species are not ranks in biology, what are they?] It is often claimed that species are the units… Read More
Evolution A nice discussion of the problems of Evolutionary Psychology 24 Dec 2008 Here at monkey’s uncle, the blog of James Holland Jones, a Stanford anthropologist. Well worth the read. Basically he attacks the presumption that there was some kind of Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness needed to make the rest of the EP argument. Merry Christmas. Or should I say Happy Holidays, being… Read More
You were trying to explain some of this to me in NYC back in ’05, but I think I must have completely missed your point. I was also surprised that Linneus—who produced all the evidence for common descent—was a fixed-species creationist. I knew he had once questioningly (mistakenly?) referred to a plant variety as “a daughter of time” but I suppose that must have been late in life. I can use some of this, thanks.