The theory of evolution is deficient in its treatment of agency.



The article "The agential perspective: Countermapping the modern synthesis" by Claire Walsh and Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther argues that the Modern Synthesis perspective on evolution is deficient in its treatment of agency. The Modern Synthesis perspective defines the constituent processes of evolution in genotype terms, i.e., as changes in the genetic makeup of populations. This perspective ignores the role of organisms as active agents that can choose their own behaviors and environments.

The agential perspective, on the other hand, defines the constituent processes of evolution as consequences of organismal purposive activity. This perspective takes into account the fact that organisms are not passive objects that are simply acted upon by natural selection. Instead, organisms are active agents that can make choices about their own behaviors and environments. These choices can have a significant impact on the evolutionary process.

The authors argue that the agential perspective is a more accurate and comprehensive way of understanding evolution. They point to a number of empirical findings that support the agential perspective, such as the fact that organisms often exhibit adaptive behaviors that are not easily explained by the Modern Synthesis perspective.

The authors conclude by arguing that the agential perspective should be incorporated into the Modern Synthesis to create a more complete and accurate understanding of evolution. They suggest that this can be done by developing a new theoretical framework that combines the insights of both the Modern Synthesis and the agential perspective.

Here are some specific ways in which the Modern Synthesis is deficient in its treatment of agency:

  • It assumes that organisms are passive objects that are simply acted upon by natural selection.

  • It ignores the fact that organisms can make choices about their own behaviors and environments.

  • It does not take into account the role of organisms' goals and intentions in the evolutionary process.

  • It does not allow for the possibility of organisms actively shaping their own evolution.

The agential perspective addresses these deficiencies by taking into account the active role of organisms in the evolutionary process. It recognizes that organisms are not passive objects, but rather active agents that can make choices about their own behaviors and environments. This has important implications for our understanding of evolution, as it suggests that organisms can play a more active role in shaping their own evolutionary future.

The agential perspective is still a relatively new way of thinking about evolution, and there is much more research that needs to be done to develop it fully. However, it has the potential to provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of evolution than the Modern Synthesis.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beyond the Sequence: The Epigenetic "Fingers" That Play the DNA Keyboard

Image
Imagine the keyboard itself is not a standard piano keyboard, but a modular synthesizer, capable of producing an almost infinite array of sounds. The DNA sequence, then, represents the fundamental building blocks of this synthesizer, the raw materials from which all sounds are generated. Epigenetics, our "fingers," manipulates these building blocks, adjusting parameters like volume, timbre, and rhythm, transforming the raw potential of the DNA sequence into a symphony of cellular functions. We can further refine the "fingers" analogy. Consider that each finger represents a distinct epigenetic mechanism: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA.  DNA methylation, for instance, might be the "index finger," capable of precisely silencing specific genes, like muting individual keys on the synthesizer. Histone modifications, the "middle finger," could represent the ability to adjust the accessibility of the DN...
Read more

Why are Christian philosophers running towards Darwin while biologists are "running" away?

Image
As nature reveals the strength of epigenetics and the weakness of Neo-Darwinism, biologists are “running” away from the long-standing accepted theory. In The Federalist , April 2019, Benjamin Dierker reviews “Why one-third of biologists now question Darwinism”: "Current estimates are that approximately one-third of professional academic biologists who do not believe in intelligent design find Darwin’s Theory inadequate to describe all of the complexity in biology.” Dierker continues, “The important note is that these are not ideologues or religious zealots, nor do they propose a god or biblical solution.  Rather, they find problems in the lack of explanatory power of Darwin’s theory in light of modern understanding of mutation, variation, DNA sequencing and more. These expressions of doubt do not reject naturalism or evolution per se, but the rigor of the Neo-Darwinian model for explaining the development of life.” For 40 years, scientists calculated natural se...
Read more

Rewriting the Rules: Epigenomic Mutation Bias Challenges Randomness in Evolution

Image
This research challenges the long-held dogma that mutations occur randomly, irrespective of their consequences, by demonstrating a clear, epigenome-mediated mutation bias in Arabidopsis thaliana . The study meticulously unveils how mutation rates are not uniform across the genome but are significantly reduced in functionally constrained regions, particularly within gene bodies and essential genes. This discovery fundamentally alters our understanding of evolutionary processes, suggesting that mutation is not a purely directionless force. "Mutation bias reflects natural selection in Arabidopsis thaliana" This opening statement encapsulates the core finding: mutation rates are not random but reflect epigenetic pressures. The authors demonstrate that mutations are less frequent in crucial genomic regions, directly contradicting the prevailing theory of random mutation. This observation suggests an active mechanism that minimizes deleterious mutations in essentia...
Read more