Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
| |||
|
| |||
| Similarity: Similarity is the conformity of one or more - but not all - properties of two or more objects. See also Identity, Equality, Properties, Predicates, Predication, Identification, Descriptions._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
| Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ernst Mayr on Similarity - Dictionary of Arguments
I 189 Similarity/Mayr: not all similarities of organisms are based on homology: three kinds of characteristic changes can simulate homology: 1st Convergent evolution: independent acquisition of the same characteristic in unrelated lines of descent, e.g. wings in birds and bats. 2nd Parallel evolution: the same with related descent lines due to genetic predisposition for this characteristic, even if it was not phenotypically pronounced in the ancestors. For example, independent acquisition of goggles by a whole family group of flies. 3rd "Setback": loss of the same developed characteristic in several descent lines. >Homology, >Evolution, >Convergence. I 190 Similarity: Darwin regards it as one of the classification criteria because there is no absolute direct correlation between branching and divergence. >Classification, >Criteria. In some family trees, all branches diverge to the same extent. Similarity/Mayr: must be determined as a first step, then the genealogy. I 373 Def similarity: certain characteristics must occur together with other characteristics from which they are logically independent. >Independence, >Method. I 190 Taxonomy: Problem: inconsistent evolution of different groups of characteristics. This can result in completely different classifications. For example, larvae in comparison to adult individuals: can fall into completely different similarity classes. For example, humans are more molecularly similar to chimpanzees than different species of the genus Drosophila among each other. I 192 Categories/Mayr: there is no reliable definition for the higher categories. Higher taxa can be described very well: e.g. birds or penguins. But the category to which they are assigned to is often subjective. >Categories, >Categorization, >Taxa._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Mayr I Ernst Mayr This is Biology, Cambridge/MA 1997 German Edition: Das ist Biologie Heidelberg 1998 |
||
> Counter arguments against Mayr
> Counter arguments in relation to Similarity
Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-20