ABSTRACT
The use of the evolutionary analogy as a means of illuminating problems of individual learning, thinking and problem-solving, as well as in the analysis of socio-cultural processes, goes back over a century. It is still being used today. Skinner began to allude to the analogy in the 1950s, and it became a relatively consistent feature of his writings from the mid-1960s. Thus it may be seen as an important part of Skinner’s thinking in the later years of an exceptionally long and prolific career. I will deal with the analogy and Skinner’s use of it in two parts. First, I will outline very briefly the history of the evolutionary analogy and where it has led us. This is important because reading Skinner alone will lead one to believe that the analogy begins and ends with him, whereas it has been used and developed by some of the most distinguished of biologists and psychologists to help resolve some of the most fundamental problems in the field. I will argue that though the analogy is an analytical device it also reflects an identity of process. Second, I will evaluate Skinner’s use of the analogy against that background. I will conclude that by and large Skinner referred to the analogy merely to point to surface similarities and consequently that he never employed it to any real conceptual advantage.
