The Spandrels Of San Marco And The Panglossian Paradigm

In â€Å" The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A critique of the Adapationist Programme† by Gould and Lewontin the article discusses about natural selection not being the overall general reason for the evolution of species. Gould and Lewontin provide a pluralistic approach of how species are evolved rather than basing on natural selection. Therefore, these scientists used the central dome of St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice to represent the other possible explanations of the evolution in species. Most importantly, Gould and Lewontin used spandrels and other findings as an analogy to parallelize the evolution of organisms as an unintentional byproduct of the species. Gould and Lewontin introduce spandrels as triangular spaces between the arches and dome. The spandrel is designed in such a way that is exclusively fitted towards its space. Also, the spandrel shows severe complexity in intricate designs as well. If one were to look at the detailed design on the spandrel; he or she would question how the spandrel was able to stay in its shape and form without losing its detail. This is when Gould and Lewontin declare that the spandrel is just a simple byproduct of the mounting dome. There was no adaptation of the spandrel to form its shape and size. The reason why the spandrel is in its form is because it was an unintentional product of the mounting dome. Gould and Lewontin used the spandrel as a metaphor towards biology to explain that species are able to haveShow MoreRelatedGoulds Five Adaptationist Programme Essay677 Words   |  3 Pages The Five Adaptationist Programmes The spandrels of San Marco and Panglossioan paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme, a paper by S.J. Gould and R.C. Lewontin, portrays five of the alternative adaptationist programmes which are the most common view of evolutionary reasoning to date. The first adaptationist programme Gould mentions in the paper is a population that does not undergo selection or adaptation. In this type of population it is possible for the alleles to differentiateRead MoreGould and Lewontins Essay The Spandrels of San Marco1052 Words   |  5 Pagesassimilated the bigotry views that it hoped to fend off. The scientific community, their ideas and perceptions, account for the accepted scientific beliefs rather than the perpetual, and actual scientific theories. Gould and Lewontins essay The Spandrels of San Marco is about an adaptationist programme and how it has taken over evolutionary belief in England and the United States during the past forty years. The people believe in the power of natural selection as a key mechanism of evolution. The writers