Search results for "Darwinism"
showing 10 items of 38 documents
Charles Darwin and ideology : rethinking the Darwinian revolution
2016
This short paper critiques the idea of any coherent Darwinian ideology. Charles Darwin himself did not adopt any obvious ideology, except perhaps that of anti-slavery. However, his published work, and that of other evolutionists, led to the emergence of social Darwinism. Herbert Spencer’s role in fostering social Darwinism, and the rise of eugenics, are briefly described. The connection, if any, between the historical figure of Darwin and the social movement that bears his name is discussed. While Darwin’s On the origin of species or The descent of man can hardly account for all the racial stereotyping, nationalism, or political bigotry seen in the half century after his death, there can be…
Repercussions of Evolutionism in the Spanish Natural History Society
2001
In 1871, during the markedly libe ral environment created by the Sexennial Revolution (1868-1874), the Spanish Natural History Society (SEHN) was founded) It was established at the instigation of an active group of naturalists whose primary objectives were to promote the study of Natural History in Spain, discuss the most relevant problems relating to this discipline, and have a vehicle through which to publish their work. This early initiative was highly successful, with the number of members in the first three decades fluctuating between 290-300 and, in some years, exceeding four hundred. University professors and teachers from the Faculties of Science, Medicine and Pharmacy; researchers …
Should the teaching of biological evolution include the origin of life?
2010
The development of mainstream research on the origin of life as an outcome of Darwinian evolution is discussed. It is argued that prebiotic evolution and the origin of life should not be excluded from the syllabus and should be part of classes on biological evolution, and that the transition from non-living to living matter is best understood when seen as part of evolutionary biology. The wide acceptance of evolutionary approaches to the study of the emergence of life in European and Latin American countries is discussed.
Nietzsche y el mejoramiento humano. Reflexiones en torno a la noción de vida
2017
El presente trabajo expone el diálogo entre nietzsche y la escuela darwinista, destacando el contraste entre dos nociones de «vida» opuestas: vida como lucha por la supervivencia o vida como voluntad de poder. En oposición a la selección natural, que según nietzsche no favorece a los fuertes y poderosos sino a lo mediano y al «gran número», el filósofo alemán idea un proyecto de cría (Züchtung), una formación tanto fisiológica como moral que aspira a una auténtica elevación del ser humano, mediante la superación de las interpretaciones nihilistas y la transvaloración de los valores desde una perspectiva vitalista.
Historia breve de las contribuciones evolucionistas a la Filosofía Biológica predarwinista: desde la Edad Media hasta Darwin
2010
ResumenEl artículo presenta una sucinta exposición de las principales aportaciones sobre Filosofía Biológica realizadas por diversos autores al desarrollo del pensamiento evolucionista, durante el período histórico transcurrido entre el medievo y la articulación de la teoría darwinista. En particular, expone las contribuciones de diversa índole realizadas por Andrés Vesalio, Andrew Battell, Jacobo Bondt, Nicolás Tulp, Edward Tyson, John Ray, Benoit de Maillet, Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, Karl von Linneo, Georges Louis Leclerc, Félix de Azara y Jean Baptiste Lamarck.Palabras claveHistoria de la ciencia, historia de la filosofía biológica, evolucionismo predarwinista, orígenes de la pr…
Anti-Zeno-based dynamical control of the unfolding of quantum Darwinism
2020
We combine the collisional picture for open system dynamics and the control of the rate of decoherence provided by the quantum (anti-)Zeno effect to illustrate the temporal unfolding of the redundant encoding of information into a multipartite environment that is at the basis of Quantum Darwinism, and to control it. The rate at which such encoding occurs can be enhanced or suppressed by tuning the dynamical conditions of system-environment interaction in a suitable and remarkably simple manner. This would help the design of a new generation of quantum experiments addressing the elusive phenomenology of Quantum Darwinism and thus its characterization.
Role of information backflow in the emergence of quantum Darwinism
2019
Quantum Darwinism attempts to explain the emergence of objective reality of the state of a quantum system in terms of redundant information about the system acquired by independent non interacting fragments of the environment. The consideration of interacting environmental elements gives rise to a rich phenomenology, including the occurrence of non-Markovian features, whose effects on objectification {\it a' la} quantum Darwinism needs to be fully understood. We study a model of local interaction between a simple quantum system and a multi-mode environment that allows for a clear investigation of the interplay between information trapping and propagation in the environment and the emergence…
Witnessing objectivity on a quantum computer
2021
Understanding the emergence of objectivity from the quantum realm has been a long standing issue strongly related to the quantum to classical crossover. Quantum Darwinism provides an answer, interpreting objectivity as consensus between independent observers. Quantum computers provide an interesting platform for such experimental investigation of quantum Darwinism, fulfilling their initial intended purpose as quantum simulators. Here we assess to what degree current NISQ devices can be used as experimental platforms in the field of quantum Darwinism. We do this by simulating an exactly solvable stochastic collision model, taking advantage of the analytical solution to benchmark the experime…
Objective features in quantum states
2023
One of the key features of quantum mechanics is that any superposition of quantum states is in itself a legitimate quantum state. This has far reaching consequences, and is behind the stark difference in behaviour between quantum and classical systems. In particular, quantum systems are not -unlike classical ones- intrinsically objective, that is, different observers are not always able to agree on the properties of the system. Understanding the conditions for objectivity in quantum states is therefore key to address the wider issue of the quantum-to-classical transition. Here, we discuss several aspects of quantum objectivity, and in particular subtleties that arise to the definitions of o…
Naturalism, Science and Literature: Perspectives and Controversies
2001
The article evaluates the impact that the emerging scientific discourses had on the literary production of the second half of the nineteenth century in England