Question

"I felt puzzled when I heard about the ""Ship of Theseus paradox"". If we change any part, the whole is not the same as before. But evolution needs a small change. So: If A evolves to B., what is thethingwhich evolves?

Answer 1

Evolution involves the incremental change of characteristics in a population over time through random mutations and natural selection. It is the population as a whole that evolves, not individual organisms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Ship of Theseus paradox raises questions about the concept of identity when it comes to objects undergoing change. In the case of evolution, the concept of identity is not applied to individual organisms, but rather to populations. When a population evolves from A to B, it is the characteristics of the population as a whole that undergo change. This change occurs incrementally over time through random mutations and natural selection, leading to the adaptation of advantageous traits.

For example, if we consider a population of birds where some individuals have longer beaks and others have shorter beaks, and their environment changes to have deeper flowers, it is the population as a whole that will evolve longer beaks to be more successful in obtaining nectar from the flowers. This change in beak length does not happen suddenly, but rather through a gradual process of incremental changes over generations.

Therefore, in the case of evolution, it is the characteristics of the population that evolve rather than an individual thing.