A Radical Solution to the Species Problem

TLDR

Species have traditionally been treated as classes, but they can also be viewed as individuals, a distinction often conflated with the biological term organism. The study proposes defining species as the largest units in the natural economy where reproductive competition takes place among their parts. The authors define species as the most extensive units in the natural economy in which reproductive competition occurs among their parts. Treating species as individuals implies they have proper names, no instances, no defining properties, and their constituent organisms are parts, and this analogy to firms in economics resolves several ontological problems.

Abstract

Traditionally, species (like other taxa) have been treated as classes (universals). In fact they may be considered individuals (particular things). The logical term "individual" has been confused with a biological synonym for "organism." If species are individuals, then: 1) their names are proper, 2) there cannot be instances of them, 3) they do not have defining properties (intensions), 4) their constituent organisms are parts, not members. "Species" may be defined as the most extensive units in the natural economy such that reproductive competition occurs among their parts. Species are to evolutionary theory as firms are to economic theory: this analogy resolves many issues, such as the problems of "reality" and the ontological status of nomenclatorial types.