https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/role-of-mathematics-in-evolutionary-theory/873B4FDDA1F95DC93D65291D318A0D69
Series:
Elements in the Philosophy of Biology
The Role of Mathematics in Evolutionary Theory
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2020
Jun Otsuka

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Summary
The central role of mathematical modeling in modern evolutionary theory
has raised a concern as to why and how abstract formulae can say
anything about empirical phenomena of evolution. This Element introduces existing philosophical approaches to this problem and proposes a new
account according to which evolutionary models are based on causal, and
not just mathematical, assumptions. The novel account features causal
models both as the Humean 'uniform nature' underlying evolutionary
induction and as the organizing framework that integrates mathematical
and empirical assumptions into a cohesive network of beliefs that
functions together to achieve epistemic goals of evolutionary biology.
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