New Interpretation of the “Eclipse” of Darwinism

This chapter explores a new interpretation of the “eclipse of Darwinism” using Larry Laudan’s reticulated model of scientific rationality. L. Laudan rejects permanent universal principles and demarcation lines and emphasizes the interplay of ontology, methodology, and axiology in scientific theories. This model is used to analyze the disputes between Darwinists and non-Darwinians during the “eclipse.” In the analysis that follows, the theories from Chap. 2 are reinterpreted using the reticulated model, highlighting non-purely scientific arguments against Darwin. Laudan’s framework emphasizes that scientific criticism justifies the need for a counter-theory, taking into account the philosophical impact on theory building. The research hypothesis posits that non-Darwinian theories have sought to address the contradiction at the meta-level of Darwin’s theory by correcting the inappropriate use of essentialist terms. The structure of the modern synthesis is then analyzed, focusing on the concept of species proposed by the architects. It is shown that they adopted a nominalist stance in order to circumvent the problem of species in evolutionism, explicitly addressing what had been an implicit problem since Darwin, without finding a definitive solution.