John Beatty is a philosopher of biology at the University of British Columbia whose work centers on the conceptual foundations of evolutionary theory. He has critically examined the logical structure and explanatory status of natural selection, arguing that it functions more as a statistical summary than a causal law. His research spans the history of genetics, contingency in evolution, and the nature of biological explanation.
Challenged the cognitive and explanatory status of the theory of natural selection
Developed influential analyses of the drift-selection distinction in evolutionary theory
Contributed to debates on contingency and chance in evolutionary history
Advanced the semantic view of theories as applied to biology
Examined the historical and conceptual development of population genetics