Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An approach in evolutionary biology that assumes that most traits of an organism are adaptations which have evolved solely or chiefly by means of natural selection rather than by means of other processes such as genetic drift.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A set of methods in the evolutionary sciences for distinguishing traits resulting from adaptation from those arising through other processes.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • "Pan-adaptationism" is the idea that virtually all of the characteristics of living organisms are adaptations.

    Ancient Predator Revealed! 2009

  • Search me; and search any kind of adaptationism I've heard of.

    Adaptationism 2007

  • Could you give a short paragraph explanation of "pan-adaptationism"?

    Ancient Predator Revealed! 2009

  • I discover (why am I not surprised?) that if you really want to annoy your friends and relations, you should write a paper attacking evolutionary adaptationism.

    Against Darwinism 2009

  • I will repeat that this is silly, because even though Dawkins is a seen as a significant proponent of adaptationism, it is not about what one person or another says.

    A Dubious "Opportunity" for IDers 2007

  • ID works from a intelligent design inference that must assume a human-like intelligence, while adaptationism bases its prediction off a (blind) design mechanism.

    A Dubious "Opportunity" for IDers 2007

  • I will repeat that this is silly, because even though Dawkins is a seen as a significant proponent of adaptationism, it is not about what one person or another says.

    A Dubious "Opportunity" for IDers 2007

  • The high tide of adaptationism floated a motley navy, but it may now be on the ebb.

    Adaptationism 2007

  • It is clear as well as ironic that if we are to concede ID's ability to predict (based on DIs), ID's prediction coincides with strict adaptationism.

    A Dubious "Opportunity" for IDers 2007

  • The ID prediction of a lot of function is still indistinguishable from strict adaptationism.

    A Dubious "Opportunity" for IDers 2007

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