为何要信达尔文的演化论——论《物种起源》的二十五重简约美

科学理论的本质较量是解释力之简约美的较量, 其使得科学革命成为可能。本文通过整理与剖析达尔文的《物种起源》的论述, 展示了生命科学史上最伟大革命的内在理性, 即, 演化论相对于神创论的25重简约性优势, 分别体现在解释: (1)驯化品种的产生、(2)驯化品种在内外性状层面的多样性的差异性、(3) (杂交的子代的)遗传性状的变化、(4)杂种与混血在健康度与生殖力方面的差异、(5)杂种与混血在性状变化上的差异、(6)生物形态分布的簇状格局、(7)生物形态分化在不同分类阶元内部的不均等性、(8)不同性状分化的不均等性、(9)物种间性状差别的渐变性、(10)伴随环境变化的形态变化、(11)相对环境变化的形态惯性、(12)生物间竞争强度分布的不均等性、(13)不同物种间的形态同似性、(14)个体间的形态差异随着个体发育而变大的现象、(15)生物的痕迹构造、(16)生物地理分布的系统差异性(贯穿诸生物分类阶元的稳定偏向的差异性)、(17)物种的“等级性”与其地理分布范围的关系、(18)生物地理分布的“岛屿”现象、(19)岛屿物种的总丰度低而土著物种丰度高的特征、(20)岛屿生物的类别构成特征、(21)岛屿生物与相邻大陆的生物间的相似度关系、(22)物种迁移与物种灭绝的地域差异性、(23)物种灭绝的渐变模式、(24)古生物与现存生物在形态上的关系、(25)胚胎形态与古生物形态间的相似关系。正是这25重简约美, 铸造了《物种起源》作为最伟大的科学著作的底色, 并奠定了现代生命科学研究的大方向与总方法——“范式”。这一剖析亦有助于我们理解科学发展的真精神以及把握当代科学研究的进展。

Why do we believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution—On the 25 folds of aesthetic parsimony of On the Origin of Species

Background & Aim: Essentially, a contest between scientific theories is a contest for aesthetic parsimony, which makes scientific revolutions possible. By analyzing Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, I demonstrate the inner rationality of the greatest revolution in the history of life sciences. Progress: The analysis shows the 25 parsimonious advantages of Darwin’s theory of evolution over creationism, reflected in explaining (1) the appearance of domestic races, (2) that the extent of the difference in some external character tends to be larger than that in some internal part among domestic races, (3) the morphological changes of offspring especially produced by crossing, (4) the differences in vigour/fertility between hybrids and mongrels, (5) the differences in the extent of morphological change among offspring by different kinds of crossing, (6) the clustered distribution of some morphological character among taxonomic categories, (7) that the extent of morphological differentiation is unequal among taxonomic categories, (8) that the extent of morphological differentiation is unequal among different morphological characters, (9) the gradual variation of traits among species, (10) the morphological changes accompanying environmental changes, (11) the morphological inertia relative to environmental changes, (12) the unequal distribution of competitive intensity among organisms, (13) the morphological homology among species, (14) that the morphological differences among individuals tend to increase with individual development, (15) the biological vestiges or rudiments, (16) the systematical disparity (cross taxonomic ranks) of biogeographic distribution, (17) the relation between the “hierarchical status” of a species and its distributional range, (18) the “island phenomenon” in biogeographic distribution, (19) the relatively lower species richness and higher ratio of endemic species in an island compared to those in a similar-sized area of a mainland, (20) the specific types of organisms that can be found or not in an island compared to that in a mainland, (21) the similarity between the organisms of an island and that of the neighbouring mainland, (22) the geographic heterogeneity of species migration and species extinction, (23) the gradual process of species extinction, (24) the morphological relation between extinct and extant organisms, and (25) the morphological similarity between the embryo of an organism and its ancestor. Conclusion: It is these 25 folds of aesthetic parsimony that have cast the essence of On the Origin of Species as a greatest scientific work, and have provided the modern life-science research with the universal methodology and these general directions, i.e., the paradigm. This analysis also helps us understand the genuine spirit of scientific development and manage the contemporary scientific research.