title: Natural selection and mechanistic regularity.
abstract: In this article, I address the question of whether natural selection operates regularly enough to qualify as a mechanism of the sort characterized by Machamer, Darden, and Craver (2000). Contrary to an influential critique by Skipper and Millstein (2005), I argue that natural selection can be seen to be regular enough to qualify as an MDC mechanism just fine-as long as we pay careful attention to some important distinctions regarding mechanistic regularity and abstraction. Specifically, I suggest that when we distinguish between process vs. product regularity, mechanism-internal vs. mechanism-external sources of irregularity, and abstract vs. concrete regularity, we can see that natural selection is only irregular in senses that are unthreatening to its status as an MDC mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Program for the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, 436 Geddes Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. Electronic address: lane.desautels@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DesAutels
mesh_terms: D008954:Models, Biological; D011336:Probability; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: Mechanism; Natural selection; Probability; Regularity