Natural selection can only produce adaptation to immediately surrounding (and changing) environments. No feature of such local adaptation should yield any expectation of general progress (however such a vague term be defined). Local adaptation may as well lead to anatomical simplification as to greater complexity.


Full House, Chapter 12 (p. 139), Harmony Books. 1996

Stephen Jay Gould Quotes

Natural selection can only produce adaptation to immediately surrounding (and changing) environments. No feature of such local adaptation should...

Natural selection can only produce adaptation to immediately surrounding (and changing) environments. No feature of such local adaptation should...

Natural selection can only produce adaptation to immediately surrounding (and changing) environments. No feature of such local adaptation should...

Natural selection can only produce adaptation to immediately surrounding (and changing) environments. No feature of such local adaptation should...