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Rosales A. Theories that narrate the world: Ronald A. Fisher's mass selection and Sewall Wright's shifting balance. Stud Hist Philos Sci. 2017;62:22-30doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007.
Rosales, A. (2017). Theories that narrate the world: Ronald A. Fisher's mass selection and Sewall Wright's shifting balance. Studies in history and philosophy of science, 6222-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007
Rosales, Alirio. "Theories that narrate the world: Ronald A. Fisher's mass selection and Sewall Wright's shifting balance." Studies in history and philosophy of science vol. 62 (2017): 22-30. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007
Rosales A. Theories that narrate the world: Ronald A. Fisher's mass selection and Sewall Wright's shifting balance. Stud Hist Philos Sci. 2017 Apr;62:22-30. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007. Epub 2017 May 12. PMID: 28583356.
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Stud Hist Philos Sci. 2017 Apr;62:22-30. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007. Epub 2017 May 12.

Theories that narrate the world: Ronald A. Fisher's mass selection and Sewall Wright's shifting balance.

Studies in history and philosophy of science

Alirio Rosales

Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Management and Information System Division, The Sauder School of Business, 2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 28583356 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.03.007

Abstract

Theories are composed of multiple interacting components. I argue that some theories have narratives as essential components, and that narratives function as integrative devices of the mathematical components of theories. Narratives represent complex processes unfolding in time as a sequence of stages, and hold the mathematical elements together as pieces in the investigation of a given process. I present two case studies from population genetics: R. A. Fisher's "mas selection" theory, and Sewall Wright's shifting balance theory. I apply my analysis to an early episode of the "R. A. Fisher - Sewall Wright controversy."

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Mass selection theory; Narratives; R. A. Fisher: Sewall Wright; Shifting balance theory; Theories

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