UMR, université Paris, France.
C R Biol. 2010 Feb;333(2):87-94. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2009.11.007. Epub 2010 Feb 6.
I investigate the role of palaeontology within Darwin's works through an analysis of the two chapters of The Origin of Species most especially devoted to this science. Palaeontology may occupy several places within the structure of the argumentative logic of Darwinism, but these places have remained to some extent ancillary. Indeed, palaeontology could well document evolutionary patterns, showing the actual occurrence of evolution as a general "historical fact", but it was poorly adapted to demonstrate the main point of Darwinism: the actual evolutionary process: natural selection acting among individuals. I also show, in agreement with Gould, that Darwin had great confidence in the ultimate ability of palaeontology to support his theory, and that in interpreting palaeontological evidence, he expressed a vision of natural selection much wider and more eclectic than that which has generally been ascribed to him.
我通过分析《物种起源》中最专门讨论这门科学的两章，研究了古生物学在达尔文著作中的作用。古生物学在达尔文主义的论证逻辑结构中可能占据几个位置，但这些位置在某种程度上仍然是辅助性的。事实上，古生物学可以很好地记录进化模式，展示进化作为一个普遍的“历史事实”的实际发生，但它不太适合证明达尔文主义的主要观点：实际的进化过程：个体之间的自然选择。我还表明，与古尔德一致，达尔文对古生物学最终支持他的理论的能力非常有信心，并且在解释古生物学证据时，他表达了一种比通常归因于他的更为广泛和折衷的自然选择观点。
