By CFM
Added: Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:34:09 UTC

Is sth. called the "systemic theory of evolution" (proposed, as far as I can say, by a German mathematician named Peter Mersch) taken serious by anyone in biology, or is it just another matter of somebody dabbling in a field he is no expert in and claiming the "establishment" does not listen?

I suspect the latter, but I want to make sure - and I hope some here have already heard of this "theory" and know more about it. The background of this question is a discussion I am currently involved in in the book-review section of amazon.de - concerning one of the German "costumer" reviews of "Die Schöpfungslüge", the German translation of "The Greatest Show On Earth".

One reviewer (she says she is a biologist) is strongly advocating said "theory". She has written a very critical review of the book, arguing, among other things, that evolutionary theory as described by Prof. Dawkins lacks a "sound explanation of the differences between nature and civilisation" and underestimates the power of sexual selection. She links to a seemingly scientific text concerning said "systemic theory" by above-mentioned Peter Mersch (who also has written several books on the topic) and herself. This "theory" supposedly provides explanations where "mainstream Darwinism" fails to do so...

For me as a scientific "layperson" (at least where biology is concerned) it is hard to judge whether this "theory" has any scientific merits. The website linked to certainly cites well-known books and articles by sociobiologists and evolutionary biologists and "sounds" scientific (unfortunately, it is available in German only: http://knol.google.com/k/systemische-evolutionstheorie#). And there are some positive comments by biologists, even erstwhile professors. But the reviewer does present the theory as a kind of hard-done-by - of course brilliant - "scientific heresy not accepted by mainstream biology" - and sth. like that always makes me highly suspicious, as it "screams" pseudoscience .

Thanks.

TAGGED: BOOKS, CRITICAL THINKING, EVOLUTION, REVIEWS, RICHARD DAWKINS