PARSIMONY IN EVOLUTIONARY-THEORY - LAW OR METHODOLOGICAL PRESCRIPTION
PARSIMONY IN EVOLUTIONARY-THEORY - LAW OR METHODOLOGICAL PRESCRIPTION
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DOI：
10.1016/0022-5193(82)90274-0
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发表时间：
1982-01-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
CRISCI, JV
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
CRISCI, JV
简约(Okham‘’S剃刀)在系统发育重建中被广泛使用(进化采用最短的路径)。这一原则在进化论中的排名并不是很明显。节俭不是单一的，而是至少有两种：本体论和方法论。本体论的简约涉及对自然的简单性的假设。方法论上的节俭是一种纯粹的逻辑戒律，是一种广泛的实践原则，即不相信任何没有证据的东西。这两种节俭是不相容的。现实是简单的本体论假设在科学史上被多次驳斥，进化论也不例外。尽管事实是，直接的进化变化比采取不必要步骤的进化更有可能发生，但进化节俭只是一种方法论戒律，而不是进化规律。概率不足以赋予进化简约一个本体论公理的等级。使用进化节俭原则的理由只是方法论上的。进化节俭的一个定义是，只要没有证据表明有其他途径，进化就可以被认为是以最节俭的方式发生的。
Parsimony (Ockham''s razor) is in widespread use in phylogenetic reconstruction (evolution takes the shortest route). It is not quite obvious which is the rank that this principle should have in evolutionary theory. Parsimony is not of a single kind but is at least of 2 kinds: ontological and methodological. Ontological parsimony involves an assumption about the simplicity of nature. Methodological parsimony is a purely logical precept, a case of the broad practical principle not to believe anything for which there is no evidence. The 2 kinds of parsimony are not compatible with one another. The ontological hypotheses that reality is simple has been refuted many times in the history of science, and evolution is not an exception to this. In spite of the fact, that direct evolutionary changes have higher probability than the ones that take unnecessary steps, evolutionary parsimony is merely a methodological precept, not a law of evolution. Probability is not enough to give evolutionary parsimony a rank of ontological axiom. The reasons to use the principle of evolutionary parsimony are only methodological. A definition of evolutionary parsimony is that as long as no evidence is available to suggest an alternative pathway, evolution may be considered to occur in the most parsimonious way.