Evolutionary Worlds Without End

Diversity and complexity are the hallmarks of living forms. Yet science aims for general causal explanations of its observations - so how can this be achieved in the non-physical sciences? This new book considers whether there can be a general theory in biology and the social sciences, that is in any way equivalent to those seen in physics.

Henry Plotkin was born in South Africa. His first degrees were from the University of the Witwatersrand. He came to United Kingdom in 1964 and was employed by the Medical Research Council, receiving a doctorate in physiological psychology in 1968. He was awarded an MRC Fellowship, spent 1970-1972 at Stanford University and on returning to the UK took up a post as lecturer at University College London. He was made Reader in 1988 and then awarded a Professorship in 1993. He was Head of the Psychology Department at UCL from 1993-1998, becoming Emeritus Professor in 2005.