Abstract
Developmental Systems Theory (DST) is a theoretical reinterpretation of biological phenomena that challenges the conventional gene-centered account of development and evolution. In this article, I focus on Griffiths and Gray’s version of DST and particularly analyze their reconceptualization of inheritance. First, I present their concept of expanded and diffused inheritance; then, I examine and criticize their rejection of the multiple inheritance system model; finally, I present and oppose Griffiths and Gray’s extension of what they call the “causal parity thesis” from development to evolution. I argue that their proposal is an interesting and programmatic philosophical perspective on biological phenomena but fails to provide either additional heuristic tools for empirical investigation in biology or a more realistic representation of the biological world.
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Merlin, F. On Griffiths and Gray’s Concept of Expanded and Diffused Inheritance. Biol Theory 5, 206–215 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1162/BIOT_a_00044
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/BIOT_a_00044