Generic Features of Evolution and Its Continuity -- a Transdisciplinary Perspective

Evolution is thought to occur in many disciplinary domains. Because of the intellectual attraction of the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, evolutionary processes in other domains are often conceptualized in terms of that theory. However, as explained, such a heuristic strategy is neither necessary nor is it always helpful. An attempt is therefore made to identify generic features of evolution which transcend all domain-specific characteristics. Two concrete features are discussed together with their epistemological, conceptual, and methodological implications. Finally the ontological question is highlighted how non-biological evolutionary theories can be accommodated by the Darwinian world view of the moderns sciences.