清华科史哲讲座第33讲
时间：2020年1月8日（周三）上午10:00–12:00
地点：科学史系系厅（人文楼B206）
［人文楼位于凯风人文社科图书馆南侧、第三教室楼北侧。从楼西门进入后，可沿楼梯直接下至B2层。］
主讲人：Pierrick Bourrat 博士（Macquarie University）
讲题：A new statistical partitioning of the Price equation for evolutionary transitions in individuality
内容简介：
Evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) are events during which individuals at a given level of organization (particles) interact to form higher-level entities (collectives) which are then recognized as new individuals at that level. ETIs are intimately related to the literature on levels of selection. Yet, I argue that the classical formalism on multilevel selection – the multilevel version of the Price equation – is inadequate to explain ETIs. This is because it takes the collectives of a population for granted without explaining their origins. Yet, one fundamental aspect of ETIs is the origins of collectives. From there, I propose to exploit Wimsatt’s distinction between aggregativity and non-aggregativity and apply it to the levels of selection question to distinguish arbitrary from genuine collectives. Functional aggregative collectives are collectives for which a given character is the mean of the corresponding character of its constituent particles taken independently, that is in a non-collective context. A functional non-aggregative character violates this definition in a particular way. I illustrate the distinction with some examples and then implement it in a version of the Price equation. Finally, I use this equation to explain the critical stages of an ETI. A ground zero for an ETI is a situation in which the collectives of a population are pure functional aggregates of their constituent particles. During the transition, a given collective character becomes a non-aggregative property of its constituent particles progressively. Non-aggregativity, I conclude, is thus a fundamental aspect of ETIs (and more generally levels of selection) that grounds the origins of collectives, and to which the traditional approaches have not sufficiently paid attention.
演讲人简介：
Pierrick Bourrat is a Macquarie University Research Fellow who specialises in philosophy of biology. He is also part of the Theory & Method in Biosciences group at the University of Sydney. His interests include: (1) Evolutionary transitions in individuality; (2) evolutionary theory; (3) the interplay between biological and cultural evolution; and (4) the evolution of religious beliefs.
