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