Developmental systems theory (DST)

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        Developmental systems theory (DST) is a recent umbrella label for a series of critical
      
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        attitudes to the prevailing genocentric views of development and evolution in biology.
      
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        This 24-chapter collection presents a series of essays by scientists and philosophers
      
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        on DST exploring possible systematizations, clari"cations, and extensions of its central
      
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        tenets, some of its historical roots, as well as connections and resonances with other
      
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        disciplines such as anthropology and sociology.
      
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        <b>DST extends the critical discourse championed by Richard Lewontin since the 1970s</b>
      
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        <b>on the dialectics of gene, organism, and environment and how developmental and</b>
      
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        <b>evolutionary processes should be better understood through the causal interpenetration</b>
      
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        <b>of levels that are often taken as separate and explanatorily asymmetrical. </b>
      
      
        These ideas,
      
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        of course, have had other defenders in the past. James H. Woodger questioned in
      
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        1929 the opposition between organisms and environment and even suggested that the
      
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        concept of inheritance might not be as solid as it appeared. Based on his research on
      
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        nerve growth and the development of coordinated behavior since the mid 1920s, Paul
      
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        Weiss offered a hierarchical systems view of development that challenged reductionist
      
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        priority of one level, for instance the level of genetic regulation, upon the others.
      
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        Although these precursors are not mentioned in the book, the ”rst part is dedicated to
      
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        “in‘uences” on DST. This section includes a reproduction of Lewontin’s 1983 in‘uential
      
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        article “Gene, organism and environment” accompanied by a new introduction by the
      
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        author. It also reproduces Daniel Lehrman’s 1953 critique of Lorenz’s theory of instinct,
      
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        which is introduced by a very valuable piece by Timothy Johnston providing important
      
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        contextual information on the concept of innate behavior.
      
      
        
      
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