Systemic Darwinism
Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther*
-Author Affiliations
Philosophy Department, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Edited by Peter Crane, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, and approved June 6, 2008 (received for review December 6, 2007)
Abstract
Darwin's 19th century evolutionary theory of descent with modification through natural selection opened up a multidimensional and integrative conceptual space for biology. We explore three dimensions of this space: explanatory pattern, levels of selection, and degree of difference among units of the same type. Each dimension is defined by a respective pair of poles: law and narrative explanation, organismic and hierarchical selection, and variational and essentialist thinking. As a consequence of conceptual debates in the 20th century biological sciences, the poles of each pair came to be seen as mutually exclusive opposites. A significant amount of 21st century research focuses on systems (e.g., genomic, cellular, organismic, and ecological/global). Systemic Darwinism is emerging in this context. It follows a “compositional paradigm” according to which complex systems and their hierarchical networks of parts are the focus of biological investigation. Through the investigation of systems, Systemic Darwinism promises to reintegrate each dimension of Darwin's original logical space. Moreover, this ideally and potentially unified theory of biological ontology coordinates and integrates a plurality of mathematical biological theories (e.g., self-organization/structure, cladistics/history, and evolutionary genetics/function). Integrative Systemic Darwinism requires communal articulation from a plurality of perspectives. Although it is more general than these, it draws on previous advances in Systems Theory, Systems Biology, and Hierarchy Theory. Systemic Darwinism would greatly further bioengineering research and would provide a significantly deeper and more critical understanding of biological reality.
biological theory ecology genetics evolution systems theory
Footnotes
*E-mail: rgwinther@gmail.com
Author contributions: R.G.W. wrote the paper.
The author declares no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
© 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
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NOTA CAUSTICANTE DESTE BLOGGER:
Em palestras e debates que este blogger tem participado, alguns darwinistas têm a cara de pau de dizer que não existe nenhuma crise epistêmica em biologia evolucionária e, pasme, nenhuma necessidade de uma nova teoria da evolução que não seja selecionista.
Ora, vão caçar sapos de botas epistêmicas na lagoa de Down. Que venga la nueva teoría de evolución – a SÍNTESE EVOLUTIVA AMPLIADA que, por essas e outras montanhas de evidências negativas, não pode e nem deve ser selecionista.
Alô MEC/SEMTEC/PNLEM, que tal recomendar aos autores de livros-texto de Biologia do ensino médio que eles façam a abordagem desta situação epistemológica? Afinal de contas, o fato, Fato, FATO da evolução parece não ser toda esta Coca-Cola toda, oops, assim uma Brastemp no contexto de justificação teórica. Vamos lá gente, honestidade científica acima de tudo, afinal de contas, não existe Theoria perennis em ciência.
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Alô MEC/SEMTEC/PNLEM, que tal recomendar aos autores de livros-texto de Biologia do ensino médio que eles façam a abordagem desta situação epistemológica? Afinal de contas, o fato, Fato, FATO da evolução parece não ser toda esta Coca-Cola toda, oops, assim uma Brastemp no contexto de justificação teórica. Vamos lá gente, honestidade científica acima de tudo, afinal de contas, não existe Theoria perennis em ciência.
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