Sketch of a Kuhnian Analysis of the Darwinian Revolution

Pre-paradigm geology: catastrophism vs. vulcanism and natural theology. Morphology and collection, foundational debates with religious overtone.

Pre-paradigm biology: foundatioanal debates aimed at public, heavy involvement of cultural commitments and religion, research in blind collection mode (beetle collections), competing approaches ignore systematic chunks of data (e.g., homologies).

Lyellian paradigm in geology: using fossil distribution and gradual elevation and subsidence to explain geological record.

Catastrophism still competes, but agrees in preferring Lyellian explanations when they work. Hence, the competing pair serve to focus research, which is the central function of single paradigm dominance in Kuhn's theory.

Darwin's revolution originated in the Lyellian paradigm, not evolutionism, which was still in the pre-paradigm stage.

Heuristic focus: using geographical distribution of fossils and living species to determine pattern of subsidence and elevation.

Joining paradigm: Darwin's atoll theory leads to "conversion" on Beagle voyage, after which he "sees" subsidence and elevation everywhere. Young Lyellians are loyal anti-evolutionists (Darwin, Wallace, Huxley).

Anomaly

Lyell shelved the origins question.

Crisis generated by normal Lyellian research: Normal Lyellian geology transforms the anomaly into a crisis.

Conversion and proliferation:

Evolution was such an obvious, unifying solution to these anomalies that the young Lyellians individually converted without much debate. The evolutionary debate was mostly against non-Lyellians. This explains much of its programmatic, repetitive character.

The intra-paradigm debate was now over mechanisms of evolution. Here there was proliferation and exploration:

Natural selection has not yet solved a big enough problem to command univocal loyalty, even by Darwin himself.

Natural Selection Anomalies:

Crisis and proliferation: ad hoc maneuvers to increase time and to speed up evolution.

Crisis finally controlled:

Dominance: