Darwin's “Imaginary Illustrations”: Creatively Teaching Evolutionary Concepts & the Nature of Science

Alan C. Love

doi:10.1525/abt.2010.72.2.6

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Alan C. Love^*

^*ALAN C. LOVE is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, 831 Heller Hall, 271 19th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55455; e-mail: aclove@umn.edu.

Abstract

An overlooked feature of Darwin's work, is his use of “imaginary illustrations” to show that natural selection is competent to produce adaptive, evolutionary change. When set in the context of Darwin's methodology, these thought experiments provide a novel way to teach natural selection and the nature of science.

©2010 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Request permission to photocopy or reproduce article content at the University of California Press's Rights and Permissions Web site at www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp.

Citation Download Citation

Alan C. Love "Darwin's “Imaginary Illustrations”: Creatively Teaching Evolutionary Concepts & the Nature of Science," The American Biology Teacher 72(2), 82-89, (1 February 2010). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2010.72.2.6

Published: 1 February 2010