Abstract
In this commentary on Denis Noble’s “The Illusions of the Modern Synthesis,” I discuss three illusions he argues exist within the Modern Synthesis. These illusions have the common theme of attempting to identify the correct way of understanding and describing biological systems. I agree with much of Noble’s claims, but offer the language of developmental systems theory as a friendly tool for moving the project forward.
References
Darwin, C. (1872). The origin of species. John Murray
Dupré, J. (2018). A manifesto for a processual philosophy of biology. In J. Nicholson & J. Dupré (Eds.), Everything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology. Oxford University Press
Gould, S. J., & Vrba, E. S. (1982). Exaptation—A missing term in the science of form. Paleobiology, 8(1), 4–15
Griffiths, P., & Stotz, K. (2018). Developmental systems theory as process theory. In J. Nicholson & J. Dupré (Eds.), Everything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology. Oxford University Press
Kitcher, P. (2009). Living with Darwin: Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith. Oxford University Press
Kuhn, T. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago University Press
Noble, D. (2013). Physiology is rocking the foundations of evolutionary biology. Experimental Physiology, 98(8), 1235–1243
Noble, D. (2021). The Illusions of the Modern Synthesis. Biosemiotics, 14, 5–24
Paley, W. (1802). Natural theology: or, Evidences of the existence and attributes of the deity. R. Faulder
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Winters, A.M. The Evolvability of Evolutionary Theories: A Reply to Denis Noble. Biosemiotics 14, 669–673 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-021-09446-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-021-09446-8