Existe-t-il un paradigme darwinien ? Pour une ontologie historique de la théorie de l’évolution

Abstract

Darwin’s theory is regarded by many historians as a true scientific revolution That is why the aim of this paper is precisely to account for its revolutionary features, in the framework of an understanding of scientific revolutions that draws on Thomas Kuhn’s works. This implies defining a “Darwinian paradigm”, both as a disciplinary matrix and as an exemplary solution to a given problem. Therefore, we will define the structure and content of Darwin’s theory, in order to highlight the question that could form the basis of a “Darwinian paradigm”, i.e. the problem of the adaptive complexity of life. We will thus identify what could set that paradigm apart from all others, so that the problem of complexity could only be raised and solved within its framework. To do so, we will focus on two dichotomies, i.e. the one between functionalism and formalism, as well as the one between naturalism and idealism. In conclusion, we will point out the limits of Kuhn’s epistemology for the analysis of evolutionary theory, which will lead us to sketch the outline of an alternative approach that we call “historical ontology”.