Department of Philosophy and Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, The University of Toronto, 91 Charles Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5K 1J7.
Hist Philos Life Sci. 2010;32(2-3):317-39.
There are two extant theories of evolution, each of which deserves the honourific "neo-Darwinism": Modern Synthesis Replicator theory and a theory I shall call Developmental Darwinism. The principal difference concerns the canonical unit of biological organization. Modern Synthesis replicator theory explains the process of evolution by appeal to the activities of genes or replicators. Developmental Darwinism explains the process of evolution by appeal to the capacities of organisms. In particular, it is the plasticity of organisms, manifested most distinctly during development, that causes adaptive evolution. Despite the fact that each, in its own way, traces its origin to the theory outlined by Darwin, they are radically different. The objectives of this essay are twofold: to underscore the differences between these theories, and to argue that Developmental Darwinism, though nascent, is a viable alternative to Modern Synthesis replicator theory.
有两种现存的进化理论，每一种都值得被称为“新达尔文主义”：现代综合复制子理论和我将称之为发育达尔文主义的理论。主要的区别在于生物组织的规范单位。现代综合复制子理论通过诉诸基因或复制子的活动来解释进化过程。发育达尔文主义通过诉诸生物体的能力来解释进化过程。特别是，生物体的可塑性，在发育过程中表现得最为明显，导致了适应性进化。尽管它们各自都以自己的方式追溯到达尔文所概述的理论，但它们是截然不同的。本文的目的有两个：强调这两种理论之间的差异，并论证发育达尔文主义虽然还处于萌芽阶段，但它是现代综合复制子理论的一种可行替代方案。
