Re: Gould and contingency

["Ricardo Duchesne" <rduchesn@xxxxxxxx>]

Gould is not the last word on the role of contingency in evolution.
As I read once in the
New York Times, there is a new book, The Crucible of Creation, by C.
Morris, which argues that animals in different continents have
followed parallel paths in their evolution. This is a direct
challenge to Gould's who overstresses contingency. Morris writes, "I
would certainly not contest the reality of contingency and luck...On
the other hand, when you look at the broad structure of the history
of life, you can't help but be impressed by the number of organisms
that began at different starting points and have come together".