In the post below I alluded to the views of R. A. Fisher. This was a moderately dangerous move on my part because many of Fisher's views have been transmitted only through later researchers, who may have lacked a clear understanding of what Fisher himself was trying to say. Heap on top of that the reality that the debate between Fisher and Sewall Wright was often abstruse for the evolutionary biologists who nevertheless managed to take sides and transmit their understandings of the conflict, and it's a recipe for misrepresentation. With that in mind let me enter into the record an email from a friend who has engaged in a deep reading of Fisher, and attempted to understand his reasoning (no, this is notA. W. F. Edwards!):
I've complained about this kind of thing to you before, so I don't suppose I'll make much headway now. But let me try ...
