How Random is Random Mutation?
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2025-07-25
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en
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In biology, the nature of mutations is often described as “random”. In an evolutionary context, this represents the canonical view that mutation is not directed towards providing favourable traits for an organism. However, “mutation” can also refer to alterations in DNA, in which “mutation is random” is a vastly different and extensively debated claim within genetics. I investigate what the statement “mutation is random” means in an evolutionary and a genetic context and how different interpretations of “random” affect its meaning. I argue that using different definitions of randomness interchangeably has far-reaching implications, such as the confusion of epistemological and ontological claims, (accidental) Lamarckian conclusions, and that it raises questions about reductionism in biological science.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen