The study of genetics is the study of the causes of genetic variation in the population. Yet genetics has contributed little to our understanding of speciation and nothing to our understanding of extinction (Lewontin, 1974, p. 12).
My understanding is that genetics has in fact contributed enormously to our understanding of speciation and also extinction—and here’s a book-length treatment I found from 1977, which post-dates Mokyr’s cite but not his book. Fortunately I think the point about macroinventions doesn’t actually rest on this analogy.
My understanding is that genetics has in fact contributed enormously to our understanding of speciation and also extinction—and here’s a book-length treatment I found from 1977, which post-dates Mokyr’s cite but not his book. Fortunately I think the point about macroinventions doesn’t actually rest on this analogy.