From representational preformationism to the epigenesis of openness to the world? Reflections on a new vision of the organism.
The problem of how to reconcile the apparent "purposiveness" of the living organism with nonteleological, mechanist modes of explanation was given a certain form through most of the 20th century by a relatively decontextualized understanding of the gene as the heritable determinant of phenotypic traits. As instrumentally preformationist presuppositions about genes give way to the burgeoning elucidation of cell and molecular mechanisms of epigenesis, basic questions about the nature of complex living systems and their evolutionary origins once again come into consideration. Some suggestions are offered for a vision of the genetically recontextualized organism.
Moss
Lenny
L
Department of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 100 Malloy Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. Moss.9@nd.edu
D000818:Animals; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000266:history; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny