BHA: Critical Realism and Natural Sciences

[ronnym@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Bwanika (and others),

I think it is very important to discriminate between chemical evolution and
evolutionary theory for the folloowing reasons. First: Unlike Bwanika I don't
see any close relationship between the two theories at all. I think the
ontological status of one theory is independent of the other. For all I now
the theory of black holes may be incorrect, the same could be said of GTR. It
is true that some theorist wish to collapse the theory of evolution into the
theory of chemical evolution (that is a theory that explain the origins of
the "heavy" elements but this amounts to nothing but that old spirit in the
bottle - reductionism, and thereby denial of emergence and novelty at the
level of cells). Second: I think that scientists is far more disagreeing about
the fundamentals of evolutionary theory than the basic facts of chemical
evolution. Just think about the clash of opinions between the theorists of
selfish genes (Dawkins, Williams and Dennett) and those theorists that think
that the organism is the unit of selection (Lewontin, Gould, Eldredge). Also
the discussion between orthodox darwinists and anti-darwinists over the role
of fitness and adaptation in selection.

I think that biophilosophy is an extremely important topic for critical
realists. Don't misunderstand me, I think that natural science in general is
important, but given the theory of emergence I think it is extremely important
to show how ontological real emergence is invaluable in biology. For unlike
the notion of "emergence" that is in vogue right now in evolutionary theory (a
theory that is extremely formalist and seems to argue that the number of
entities alone determines emgergent levels) I think that the theory of
emergence that anong others Bhaskar is arguing for in DPF is above all else
anti-formalist and substantivist. I don't have the time to elaborate this
right now, but cf. the excellent book by Gerry Webster and Brian Goodwin: Form
and Transformation for an essentialist/critical realist perspective in
evolutionary biology. The latter work is also interesting in that they thank
both Roy Bhaskar and Rom Harr in the preface.

In short; I neither believe that there are any close connection between
chemical evolution and Darwins theory of evolution nor that the latter is
objectively correct.

Best Regards,

Ronny S. Myhre

Quoting dbbwanika@xxxxxxxxxxxx:

> Listers!
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> I am trying to understand the link between Hawking's black holes, or rather
> the implosion and explosion of stars (death and creation) as an explanation
> of the beginning of the cosmos and it's link to the Darwinian evolution
> theory.
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> Rejecting one of the above theories, it appears to me will debunk the other,
> since the base argument is focused on material complexity and subsequent
> evolution. I've also read that evolution theory is rejected in some quarters,
> while on the one hand   quantum physics arguable applauded.
>
> Extending the argument further, would it imply that the geo-processes or
> material existence is a process-in-product hence implying on Bhaskarian
> level, humans   in regard to  social, psychological and bio-processes are
> products in process?
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> It appears to me, the above processes establishes the process kind to which i
> could imagine human beings come out as a finale in highly humane social
> beings? The question can also be put differently.
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> Bwanika.
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> ____________
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> Bwanika
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> url: http://www.uganda.co.ug
> e-mail: dbbwanika@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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