Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2007 - Volume 30, Issue 04  

Open Peer Commentary

Only three dimensions and the mother of invention

Jeff Fossa1

a1 Department of Philosophy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada. jefffoss@uvic.ca

Abstract

Although the first three dimensions of evolution outlined by Jablonka & Lamb (J&L) are persuasively presented as aspects of evolutionary science, the fourth dimension, symbolic evolution, is problematic: Though it may in some metaphorical sense be happening, there cannot be a science of symbolic evolution. Symbolic evolution essentially involves meaning, which, besides being nonphysical, resolutely resists scientific categorization.

Related Articles

  • Précis of Evolution in Four Dimensions