Yafeng Shan: The Formation of the Concept of Dominance
This paper aims to examine the nature of concept formation by scrutinising the formation of the concept of dominance in the history of biology. I shall begin with a review of the process of the formation of the concept of dominance from mid-19thcentury to the early 20th century. I shall show that the historical development of the concept of dominance well confirms the recent practice-based accounts of conceptual change (e.g., Andersen and Nersessian 2000; Nersessian 2008; Feest 2010; Boon 2012), in which concepts are understood as tools in scientific practice. I shall further argue that the formation and development of the concept of dominance highlight the practical role of scientific concepts in an intertwined scientific activities, including problem-defining, hypothesisation, and experimentation.
This paper aims to examine the nature of concept formation by scrutinising the formation of the concept of dominance in the history of biology. I shall begin with a review of the process of the formation of the concept of dominance from mid-19thcentury to the early 20th century. I shall show that the historical development of the concept of dominance well confirms the recent practice-based accounts of conceptual change (e.g., Andersen and Nersessian 2000; Nersessian 2008; Feest 2010; Boon 2012), in which concepts are understood as tools in scientific practice. I shall further argue that the formation and development of the concept of dominance highlight the practical role of scientific concepts in an intertwined scientific activities, including problem-defining, hypothesisation, and experimentation.