Essentialism

Essentialism is the belief and practice centered on a philosophical claim that for any specific kind of entity it is at least theoretically possible to specify a finite list of characteristics, all of which any entity must have to belong to the group defined. A member of a specific kind of entity may possess other characteristics that are neither needed to establish its membership nor preclude its membership.

Essentialism in biology

According to the essentialist view of biology all species are unchanging throughout time. This view is directly contradicted by Darwin's widely accepted theory of evolution, according to which organisms can gain new characteristics and can lose old characteristics over the passage of time due to mutations.

Related Topics:
Biology - Species - Darwin's - Evolution - Mutations

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