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On geometric mean fitness: a reply to Takacs and Bourrat

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Abstract

In a recent paper, Takacs and Bourrat (Biol Philos 37:12, 2022) examine the use of geometric mean reproductive output as a measure of biological fitness. We welcome Takacs and Bourrat’s scrutiny of a fitness definition that some philosophers have adopted uncritically. We also welcome Takacs and Bourrat’s attempt to marry the philosophical literature on fitness with the biological literature on mathematical measures of fitness. However, some of the main claims made by Takacs and Bourrat are not correct, while others are correct but not for the reasons they give.

Original languageEnglish
Article number37
JournalBiology and Philosophy
Volume37
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Evolution
  • Fitness
  • Geometric mean
  • Population growth
  • Stochasticity

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