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Darwinian 'blind' hypothesis formation revisited
Title / Series / Name
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Pages
Authors
Editors
Keywords
Blind variation
Campbell
Creativity
Darwinism
Evolutionary epistemology
Guided variation
Hypothesis formation
Lamarckism
Popper
Simonton
Philosophy
General Social Sciences
Campbell
Creativity
Darwinism
Evolutionary epistemology
Guided variation
Hypothesis formation
Lamarckism
Popper
Simonton
Philosophy
General Social Sciences
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27578
Abstract
Over the last four decades arguments for and against the claim that creative hypothesis formation is based on Darwinian 'blind' variation have been put forward. This paper offers a new and systematic route through this long-lasting debate. It distinguishes between undirected, random, and unjustified variation, to prevent widespread confusions regarding the meaning of undirected variation. These misunderstandings concern Lamarckism, equiprobability, developmental constraints, and creative hypothesis formation. The paper then introduces and develops the standard critique that creative hypothesis formation is guided rather than blind, integrating developments from contemporary research on creativity. On that basis, I discuss three compatibility arguments that have been used to answer the critique. These arguments do not deny guided variation but insist that an important analogy exists nonetheless. These compatibility arguments all fail, even though they do so for different reasons: trivialisation, conceptual confusion, and lack of evidence respectively. Revisiting the debate in this manner not only allows us to see where exactly a 'Darwinian' account of creative hypothesis formation goes wrong, but also to see that the debate is not about factual issues, but about the interpretation of these factual issues in Darwinian terms.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2010
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1007/s11229-009-9498-8