Selectionism Dominant: An Essay Review of Books by Basalla, Giere and Hull
dc.contributor.author
Fleck, James
dc.date.accessioned
2026-05-05T07:33:46Z
dc.date.issued
1991
dc.description.abstract
In this paper, three books which apply evolutionary theories to the development of scientific or technical knowledge are reviewed. In each case, the biological example is used only metaphorically, but is exploited and developed rather differently. All the books focus on selection, rather than creation or generation processes. In their own different ways each book is a useful contribution, though none is a definitive synthesis. Together they provide considerable insight and a wealth of resources for understanding scientific and technical evolution. Their main limitations stem from the specific disciplinary perspectives within which each author works, along with the dominant emphasis on selection. These are also barriers to the elaboration of a fully satisfactory theory of scientific and technological evolution.
dc.identifier.isbn
1-872287-37-9
dc.identifier.uri
https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/44640
dc.identifier.uri
https://doi.org/10.7488/era/7155
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
Research Centre for Social Science / University of Edinburgh
dc.relation.ispartofseries
34
dc.subject
scientific knowledge
dc.subject
technical knowledge
dc.subject
selectionism
dc.subject
selection
dc.subject
scientifc evolution
dc.subject
technical evolution
dc.title
Selectionism Dominant: An Essay Review of Books by Basalla, Giere and Hull
dc.type
Working Paper
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