Deism is logically compatible with evolutionary theory for the simple reason that the theory says nothing about the origin of the universe… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Creationists have long held that evolutionary theory is atheistic; defenders of the theory do the theory no favor when they agree. — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
When one theory is simpler than its competitor, this fact is relevant to saying what the world is like. — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
The big picture, I think, is that common ancestry is evidentially prior to natural selection in Darwin's theory and in contemporary evolutionary… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Earlier attempts to show that simpler theories always have higher prior probabilities have failed, but there is a restricted circumstance in which… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
I have spent a lot of time arguing that the theory of group selection is not the stupid, pernicious doctrine that many… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Trait X is fitter than trait Y in a population of organisms if those organisms have other biological traits T and live… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
I think that some "interventionist theisms" are compatible with evolutionary theory. (By "intervention," I don't mean that God violates laws of nature;… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Evolutionary game theory was originally developed as an alternative to the hypothesis of group selection; now it is clear that game theory… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
The rabid opposition to group selection has now considerably subsided. In the process, the conceptual structure of evolutionary theory has become clearer,… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
The indispensability argument seeks to assimilate the epistemology of metaphysical statements to the epistemology of statements that are obviously empirical. I think… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Evolutionary theory, properly understood, does not conflict with the idea that God occasionally intervenes in nature - for example, by once or… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Methodological naturalism gives advice to scientists about what they should include in their theories. There is a second type of methodological naturalism… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
The indispensability argument says (roughly) that if you have ample reason to accept an empirical scientific theory that makes indispensable use of… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
The more evolutionary theory gets called an atheistic theory, the greater the risk that it will lose its place in public school… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
"Methodological naturalism" and "metaphysical naturalism" are terms that often surface in the continuing battle between evolutionary biology and creationism/intelligent design. The methodological… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
Group selection and individual selection are just two of the selection processes that have played important roles in evolution. There also is… — Elliott Sober Copy Share Image
From the fact that E is evidence for T and the fact that T entails M, it doesn't follow that E is evidence for… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Evolutionary game theory was originally developed as an alternative to the hypothesis of group selection; now it is clear that game theory models postulate… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Earlier attempts to show that simpler theories always have higher prior probabilities have failed, but there is a restricted circumstance in which the claim… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
"Methodological naturalism" and "metaphysical naturalism" are terms that often surface in the continuing battle between evolutionary biology and creationism/intelligent design. The methodological thesis says… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
The big picture, I think, is that common ancestry is evidentially prior to natural selection in Darwin's theory and in contemporary evolutionary biology as… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
This is not to deny that there are versions of theism that do conflict with evolutionary biology. Young Earth Creationism is an example; it… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Some philosophical arguments (e.g., in connection with the mind/body problem) look pretty good, while others (e.g., those that criticize moral realism) do not. — Elliott Sober Copy Share
I have spent a lot of time arguing that the theory of group selection is not the stupid, pernicious doctrine that many biologists once… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Group selection and individual selection are just two of the selection processes that have played important roles in evolution. There also is selection within… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Instead of thinking of the question of race genealogically, and leaving it open whether vernacular races are genealogical units, the interest in biomedicine has… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
If the organisms in a species now have trait T, and this trait now helps those organisms to survive and reproduce because the trait… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Another way to test hypotheses about adaptation is to consider trait variation across a group of species instead of focusing on the trait of… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
Evolutionary theory, properly understood, does not conflict with the idea that God occasionally intervenes in nature - for example, by once or twice causing… — Elliott Sober Copy Share
