Kinds of Pluralism: Stephen J. Gould and the Future of Evolutionary Theory

Abstract

Stephen J. Gould’s living legacy is a scientific and epistemological one, much beyond his talent as science writer and communicator in evolutionary topics. In the XX century Gould has been one of the most important evolutionary biologists proposing a new logical and theoretical “structure” for the whole theory of evolution, not just a description of disjointed innovative emerging fields. He named this structure “Darwinian pluralism” or extended Darwinism. Ten years after his death and after a lot of impressing new discoveries in many evolutionary fields, we discuss the efficacy and limits of his pluralism, also in comparison with other kinds of pluralistic approaches to the units, the levels and the factors of evolutionary change. Adopting the methodology of “scientific research programmes”, we present Gould’s legacy as a peculiar expression of reformist Neo-Darwinism: polemic targets are referred to the so called “hardenings” of the Modern Synthesis, whereas the assumptions of compatibility are referred to the core of the original Darwinian theory.