Stephen Jay Gould as a political theorist.
Before his death in 2002, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould elaborated a large and inclusive theory of life's change. In this essay I concentrate on the aspects of Gould's vast theory that have the most direct political relevance. I briefly discuss his views on the philosophy of science. I examine the way he combined political values and methodology in a seamless, critical analysis of intelligence-testing and sociobiology. I concentrate most extensively on the impact his "punctuated equilibria" concept has made on contemporary political analysis, and I demonstrate that in their appropriation of this concept political scientists have violated the rules that Gould himself articulated for its use. In closing, I consider the possibility that a comprehensive theory of life, a theory that must include political values, might approach traditional questions of political thought more satisfyingly than has conventional philosophy.
Prindle
David
D
Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Austin, TX 78712-0119, USA. dprindle@mail.la.utexas.edu
D005075:Biological Evolution; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019021:Natural History; D010163:Paleontology; D010684:Philosophy; D011056:Political Systems; D035503:Sociobiology