Children of time: the extended synthesis and major metaphors of evolution

Brooks, Daniel RAgosta, Salvatore J

It is time for an expansion and enrichment of evolutionary theory. The "back to the future" proposal contained herein is based on three postulates: 1) Neo-Darwinism is too impoverished for this task; 2) its predecessor, Darwinism, contained the necessary breadth of vision and metaphor to be the basis for an inclusive and unifying theory of biology; and 3) the necessary framework for this new stage in the evolution of evolutionary theory is largely in place. We make our case through the use of a number of metaphorical dualisms designed to help focus discussions toward a more cooperative and productive approach to the study of living systems. Along the way, we suggest a number of self-induced paradoxes in neo-Darwinian accounts of evolution that are resolved by our perspective.

1. Self-organization
2. Information
3. Evolutionary transitions
4. Space
5. Compensatory changes
6. Complexity
7. Cooperation
8. Cohesion
9. Genealogical hierarchy
10. Thermodynamics
11. Division of labor
12. Simultaneity
13. Time, sequency
14. Metabolism
15. History
16. Nature of the organism
17. Ecological hierarchy
18. Nature of the conditions
19. Metaphors
20. Darwinism
21. Extended synthesis
22. Function