Document Type
Article
Abstract
Examines 1 of 2 filter theories that may interact in comparative psychology: Darwin's theory of natural selection. Natural selection and learning theory (the other filter theory) claim that current features of an organism's behavior or structure are filtered out of a range of earlier features. While Darwinian explanations are rarely circular, they have a peculiar logical structure that makes them easy to confuse with circular explanations and are vulnerable to other explanatory hazards. Ambivalence concerning Darwin's theory and sources of confusion from which questions about the theory arise are addressed. Implications for evolutionists are discussed.
Publication Title
International Journal of Comparative Psychology
Publication Date
1988
Volume
1
Issue
4
First Page
215
Last Page
229
ISSN
1939-2087
Keywords
natural design
Repository Citation
Lipton, P., & Thompson, N. S. (1988). Comparative psychology and the recursive structure of filter explanations. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1(4), 215–229.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
