Abstract:
The aim of this thesis is to examine the tension between the different roles that the individual plays in the Baldwin Effect – introduced by James Mark Baldwin as ‘organic selection’ – and the Genocentric Perspective – described through the work of Richard Dawkins. In order to analyse this tension, the question whether the Genocentric Perspective is sufficient to describe the Baldwin Effect is considered. Firstly, Baldwin’s original ideas are described, after which they are combined with two modern notions of ‘genetic assimilation’. This combination provides a connection with the Genocentric Perspective, as the latter understands the Baldwin Effect as equivalent to one of these two forms of genetic assimilation. The legitimacy of this understanding is then judged, and the central question answered.
