[evo.theory] Fwd: Seminar: story telling and evolutionary hypotheses: 1pm Monday 5th Aug

[Rachael Brown]

You are cordially invited to a seminar hosted by Tempo and Mode: Centre for Macroevolution and Macroecology, Australian National University

PALAEOBIOLOGICAL STORY-TELLING & ONE-SHOT HYPOTHESES.

ADRIAN CURRIE
Philosophy, University of Exeter

1-2pm on Monday 5th August 2019
Eucalyptus Seminar Room*, Robertson Building 46, Australian National University


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Abstract: I’m interested in the kinds of explanations palaeontologists (and other historical scientists) provide, and how these shape paleontological knowledge. For example, there is a tendency to provide fairly simple explanations for highly complex, contingent historical episodes: feathers evolved for insulation, hominid encephalization increased due to sociality, and a big rock killed the dinosaurs. Given that history is so often complex and messy, it is tempting to take these ‘one-shot hypotheses’ as a problematic reflection of our psychological biases, or dismiss them as mere story-telling, a distraction from the real business of paleontology. I’m not so sure, and will suggest that such hypotheses play an important role in driving some paleontological investigations. In short, one-shot hypotheses are very rarely true, but I think they’re important to consider anyway.
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Please forward this email to any other interested people or mailing lists.

* How to find the Eucalyptus Room: go through glass entrance doors to the left of the Little Pickle Cafe, take the ramp on the right hand side up one floor, walk to the back of the building, the Eucalyptus room has a glass wall with mural of trees along it.


For more information, contact:

Lindell Bromham
Macroevolution and Macroecology,
Division of Ecology & Evolution,
Research School of Biology
Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200  AUSTRALIA
tempoandmode.com<http://tempoandmode.com>
macroevoeco.com<http://macroevoeco.com>

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