A Compaignye of Sondry Folk: Mereology, Medieval Poetics and Contemporary Evolutionary Narrative in Richard Dawkins' The Ancestors Tale

摘要

An exploration is presented of the use of Chaucerian poetics, specifically literary form, allegory and medieval compilation theory, to present evolution as a poetic structure in Richard Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale, which is a popular scientific explanation of evolution modelled on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Dawkins addresses common misunderstandings of evolutionary theory, in particular regarding anthropocentric visions of human exceptionalism. Chaucer's poetics provide an ethical framework for understanding the complex relations between parts and wholes (mereology) that underpin Dawkins' ethical arguments about the place of humanity in evolution. Understanding how these two texts work together allows us to imagine new possibilities for relations in literature and science going forward into the 21st century, encouraging holistic grounds for knowledge that nevertheless retain the authority of disciplinary expertise.