evolutionary epistemology
any of a number of approaches to epistemology that seek to explain the origins and development of human knowledge in terms of biological, chiefly Darwinian, evolution. One form suggests that ideas and explanations evolve in a way analogous to the evolution of organisms; that is, they survive as they show themselves to be “fit,” or useful. Another form suggests that there is a literal biological origin of ideas and that certain ideas, such as the rules of logic, have enhanced the survival of those in whom they evolved: Thus, the ideas themselves tend to survive and take on importance.