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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
PERSPECTIVE: DARWIN, PROGRESS, AND ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES
1Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, 94118.
Abstract:
Darwin's concept of progress was an economic one, with the accumulation of adaptations having a strong analogy to technological innovations. This interpretation makes it easier to understand his differences with Lamarck and others whose views he considered metaphysically objectionable. It also clarifies his relationship to Malthus and such features of his theory as the episodic nature of evolutionary change. His position is consistent with modern theories of biotic invasions and long-term evolutionary trends. It also accords well with current efforts to produce a synthesis between biology and economics.
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