Dennett argues that Gould alternated between revolutionary and conservative claims, and that each time Gould made a revolutionary statement—or appeared to do so—he was criticized, and thus retreated to a traditional neo-Darwinian position.
Dennett menyatakan bahwa Gould berganti-ganti antara klaim revolusioner dan konservatif mengenai teori ini, dan bahwa setiap kali Gould membuat pernyataan yang revolusioner - atau tampak revolusioner - ia dikritik, dan maka kembali ke posisi neo-Darwin tradisional.