Arguments on evolution : a paleontologist's perspective

In the last decade, many new hypotheses and theories have been proposed challenging neo-Darwinism. Antoni Hoffman here briefly surveys the current debate on evolutionary theory as viewed from a palaeontological perspective, and critically examines the support for the major evolutionary issues. He argues that much of the current research has led scholars astray, and that there are no general laws governing the history of the biosphere, as large-scale patterns in biological history merely reflect a summation of smaller-scale components. The author believes that none of these components can be ignored in attempts to explain the larger patterns.