Susan Mills is a contemporary philosopher of biology known for her work on the conceptual and epistemic foundations of evolutionary theory. Her scholarship examines the logical and cognitive structure of Darwinian natural selection, contributing to debates about whether evolutionary theory meets the standards of scientific explanation. She is perhaps best known for co-authoring foundational work on the propensity interpretation of fitness.
Co-developed the propensity interpretation of fitness with John Beatty (1979), a landmark contribution to philosophy of biology
Analyzed the cognitive and explanatory status of the theory of natural selection
Contributed to debates on whether natural selection constitutes a tautology or genuine empirical claim
Advanced conceptual clarity around fitness, adaptation, and evolutionary explanation