The Evolution of Methodological Naturalism in the Origin of Species

Hopos: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science 3 (1):20-58 (2013)
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Abstract

Although scholars have paid careful attention to the naturalistic content of the Origin, less focus has been given to Darwin’s strategic deployment of methodological naturalism in the volume. A close inspection shows that he did not use methodological naturalism statically in the six editions of the Origin; instead, he strategically and progressively invoked methodological naturalism in the six editions of the Origin in order to enhance the persuasiveness of his theory and to marginalize special creation from the scientific discussion. In particular, Darwin’s explicit use of methodological naturalism in later editions of the Origin was animated less by epistemic reasons and more by expedient ones. Thus, while Darwin personally may have had sound epistemic grounds for methodological naturalism, his increasing deployment of the method in the Origin seems to have been mainly for the purpose of winning converts to his theory and ostracizing special creation rather than making a strong empirical and philosophical case per se for his position.

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The Descent of Man.Charles Darwin - 1948 - Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia 4 (2):216-216.
Darwinism Comes to America.Ronald L. Numbers - 1999 - Journal of the History of Biology 32 (2):415-417.
Spain (pp. 307–345).T. F. Glick - 1988 - In Thomas F. Glick, The Comparative reception of Darwinism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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