The Etiological Theory of Function and Niko Tinbergen's Four Questions

Marie-Claude Lorne (1)

1 IHPST - Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques

Tinbergen (1963) demarcated four types of questions which can be asked about a trait. In particular, he distinguished studies bearing on the function of a trait and those aiming at unravelling its evolution. I will examine whether the etiological theory of function can accommodate this important distinction. I will question the adequacy of a historical framework to conceptualize functional explanations in some areas of evolutionary biology and propose that an ahistorical fitness account is more appropriate.

Mots clés: etiological theory; function

Domaines: Histoire, Philosophie et Sociologie des sciences

Marie-Claude Lorne. The Etiological Theory of Function and Niko Tinbergen's Four Questions. XXIIe International Congress of History of Science, Jul 2005, Pékin, China. ⟨halshs-00791301⟩