The Logic of Chance: The Nature and Origin of Biological Evolution

A. Postmodernist philosophy, metanarratives, and the nature and goals of the scientific endeavor

I am not just a dilettante, but effectively an ignoramus in the issues discussed in this appendix. Yet this brief, unprofessional overview begged to be written. Indeed, the word postmodern repeatedly used in this book seems to demand some (pseudo)philosophical discussion. Evolutionary biology in general is the kind of field where some epistemological discourse is unavoidable.

Postmodernist philosophy, (dis)trust of metanarratives, and the (in)feasibility of synthesis

The “postmodern synthesis” in the preface to this book is a deliberate oxymoron. Indeed, much of the pathos of post-modernist philosophy is its distrust of any generalization, any “big ...