NDLI: From Ends to Causes (and Back Again) by Metaphor: The Paradox of Natural Selection

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Blancke, Stefaan Schellens, Tammy Soetaert, Ronald Keer, Hilde Braeckman, Johan
Copyright Year	2013
Abstract	Natural selection is one of the most famous metaphors in the history of science. Charles Darwin used the metaphor and the underlying analogy to frame his ideas about evolution and its main driving mechanism into a full-fledged theory. Because the metaphor turned out to be such a powerful epistemic tool, Darwin naturally assumed that he could also employ it as an educational tool to inform his contemporaries about his findings. Moreover, by using the metaphor Darwin was able to bring his theory in accordance with both the dominant philosophy of science in his time and the respected tradition of natural theology. However, as he introduced his theory of evolution by natural selection in On the origin of species in 1859, the metaphor also turned out to have a serious downside. Because of its intentional overtones, his contemporaries systematically misunderstood his metaphor not as a natural mechanism causing evolution to occur but as an agent who works towards particular ends. The difference in success between natural selection as an epistemic tool and its failure as an educational tool is labelled as a paradox. We explain the paradox from a cognitive perspective and discuss the implications for teaching evolution.
Starting Page	793
Ending Page	808
Page Count	16
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09267220
Journal	Science & Education
Volume Number	23
Issue Number	4
e-ISSN	15731901
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2013-09-01
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Science Education Philosophy of Science History Interdisciplinary Studies
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Education

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

From Ends to Causes (and Back Again) by Metaphor: The Paradox of Natural Selection

Getting to Darwin: Obstacles to Accepting Evolution by Natural Selection

A Lady Displaced, Again, Again, and Again

Reconsideration of the Paradox of Inquiry

The Knowledge Creation Metaphor – An Emergent Epistemological Approach to Learning

Darwin’s Arguments in Favour of Natural Selection and Against Special Creationism

Changes: From Natural Philosophy to Science

Using Metaphor Theory to Examine Conceptions of Energy in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

Back to Basics A Philosophical Critique of Constructivism

From Ends to Causes (and Back Again) by Metaphor: The Paradox of Natural Selection

Similar Documents

From Ends to Causes (and Back Again) by Metaphor: The Paradox of Natural Selection

Getting to Darwin: Obstacles to Accepting Evolution by Natural Selection

A Lady Displaced, Again, Again, and Again

Reconsideration of the Paradox of Inquiry

The Knowledge Creation Metaphor – An Emergent Epistemological Approach to Learning

Darwin’s Arguments in Favour of Natural Selection and Against Special Creationism

Changes: From Natural Philosophy to Science

Using Metaphor Theory to Examine Conceptions of Energy in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

Back to Basics A Philosophical Critique of Constructivism

From Ends to Causes (and Back Again) by Metaphor: The Paradox of Natural Selection