title: Why flying dogs are rare: A general theory of luck in evolutionary transitions.
abstract: There is a worry that the 'major transitions in evolution' represent an arbitrary group of events. This worry is warranted, and we show why. We argue that the transition to a new level of hierarchy necessarily involves a nonselectionist chance process. Thus any unified theory of evolutionary transitions must be more like a general theory of fortuitous luck, rather than a rigid formulation of expected events. We provide a systematic account of evolutionary transitions based on a second-order regularity of chance events, as stipulated by the ZFEL (Zero Force Evolutionary Law). And in doing so, we make evolutionary transitions explainable and predictable, and so not entirely contingent after all.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Utica College, 1600 Burrstone Rd., Utica, NY 13502-4892, USA. Electronic address: leflemin@utica.edu.
authors.forename: Leonore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Campus Box 90743, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brandon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005426:Flight, Animal; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D011336:Probability; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: Biological hierarchy; Major transitions in evolution; Natural selection; Transitions in individuality; Zero Force Evolutionary Law