Skinner B F
Science. 1981 Jul 31;213(4507):501-4. doi: 10.1126/science.7244649.
Selection by consequences is a causal mode found only in living things, or in machines made by living things. It was first recognized in natural selection, but it also accounts for the shaping and maintenance of the behavior of the individual and the evolution of cultures. In al three of these fields, it replaces explanations based on the causal modes of classical mechanics. The replacement is strongly resisted. Natural selection has now made its case, but similar delays in recognizing the role of selection in the other fields could deprive us of valuable help in solving the problems which confront us.
通过结果进行选择是一种仅在生物或生物制造的机器中发现的因果模式。它最初在自然选择中被认识到，但它也解释了个体行为的形成与维持以及文化的进化。在所有这三个领域中，它取代了基于经典力学因果模式的解释。这种取代遭到了强烈抵制。自然选择如今已确立了自身地位，但在认识选择在其他领域的作用方面出现的类似延迟，可能会使我们在解决所面临的问题时得不到宝贵的帮助。
