AGAINST THE PUPPETS OF THE SELFISH GENE: A WHITEHEADIAN DANCE OF CREATIVE EVOLUTION AS A RESPONSE TO DAWKINS
Theoretical Biology Forum, cilt.118, sa.1-2, ss.17-25, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 118 Sayı: 1-2
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.19272/202511402003
- Dergi Adı: Theoretical Biology Forum
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, MEDLINE
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.17-25
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Evolution, Process Philosophy, Whitehead, Dawkins, Chaostability
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This discussion note contrasts Richard Dawkins’ genecentric neo-Darwinian theory of evolution with Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy to propose a philosophical critique of mechanistic evolutionary models. Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene frames evolution as a struggle of selfish genes, with organisms as mere vehicles. Whitehead’s process philosophy, however, reimagines evolution as a creative, rela tional process driven by creativity and subjective aim, where chaos fosters novelty. Drawing on the chaostability hypothesis, which posits that higher chaos enhances system stability, I argue that Whitehead’s framework offers a holistic alternative to Dawkins’ reductionism, emphasizing evolution as a dance of becoming. This note invites further exploration of evolution’s metaphysical dimensions in the philosophy of biology.