Fossils, Modality & Central Subjects in Palaeobiological Reconstruction

Paleobiology is not only a science of the deep past: it is a science of deep possibility. Drawing on recent speculative reconstructions of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, I sketch a new account of paleobiological reconstruction. Fossils, as opposed to testing causal hypotheses, are used to characterise and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhilosophy, theory, and practice in biology Vol. 16; no. 2
Main Author Currie, Adrian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Michigan Publishing 13.12.2024
Subjects
evidence
historical science
possibility
traces
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ISSN2475-3025
2475-3025
DOI10.3998/ptpbio.5287

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Summary:Paleobiology is not only a science of the deep past: it is a science of deep possibility. Drawing on recent speculative reconstructions of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, I sketch a new account of paleobiological reconstruction. Fossils, as opposed to testing causal hypotheses, are used to characterise and evidence the ‘central subjects’ of paleobiological reconstruction, in this instance, particular dinosaur taxa. These central subjects are then situated in various ‘profiles’, representational tools which isolate particular traits across several dimensions in order to apply comparative methods which generate and test often modal hypotheses. I suggest this represents a particular phenomena-driven mode of exploring possibility, one with distinct advantages over approaches more common in theoretical evolutionary biology.
ISSN:2475-3025
2475-3025
DOI:10.3998/ptpbio.5287