Susan Oyama (1) (1943–)

Susan Oyama, a specialist in developmental psychology with a very broad and deep knowledge of issues in evolutionary biology, has written this book as a critique of sociobiology and genetic reductionism both, from the perspective of development systems theory. The book consists of various loose chapters, more like essays, in which she outlays the problems with the, now very popularized, views of gene-centered evolution and of the sociobiological synthesis. Against these (Dawkins, Sterelny, show more Dennett, E.O. Wilson), she proposes the development systems theory (DST), a view which sees evolution not as centered around the gene, but as changes and variations in evolutionary systems, both at the level of ontogeny and the level of population and phenotype changes. This view is, among others, supported by Kamin, Rose, Levins, Lewontin, and Gray.

One of the most interesting and important contributions of this book is to show how untenable the view of the gene as 'conveying information' as a one-way street is, i.e. that the gene, given particular circumstances, 'determines' the phenotype, which is merely a carrier for the gene and has no influence of its own. This gene-centeredness, most particularly found in the works of Richard Dawkins, leads to a large amount of difficulties and dualisms that obstruct a more useful view of evolution. The same also goes for the idea of genes as "programs" for a phenotype (say, a person), or even pre-programmed "tendencies" that someone would have a hard time battling against if he wanted. All of these Oyama deftly shows to be one-sided or even false, in terms understandable for the interested layman without leaving anything out.

Acting much as the Rorty of biology, she takes aim at many dualisms such as nature-nurture and gene-environment as well. She points out that although many biologists in their work pay lip service to the idea that such dualisms are useless, in practice they still rely on them far too much (even giving some humorous examples of authors saying one thing and then doing the other). She also succesfully scuttles the idea of genes working as a "bandwidth" or "range of variations" (Mayr) within which organisms have to operate. In all of these cases, Oyama shows that the development systems theory, in which a 'zoom out' takes place and evolution is seen as mutual interaction between genes, environments, species, phenotypes etc. on micro and macro level and working as an integrated, yet fully dynamic 'organic system', is superior at understanding and explaining the difficult questions evolutionary biology poses to us.

The last few chapters are more abstract and deal with the implications and complications of philosophy of science in the field of evolutionary biology, among other things giving some examples on how non-biologist feminists have been lured by the dualist talk into making silly claims that are harmful for actually understanding the position of women. She also deals, albeit in my view much to summarily, with the important task evolutionary biologists and collaborators have in informing the public in an accurate and nuanced manner about the realities of genetics and evolution, considering how much the attention of jurists, politicians, and intellectuals in general is focused on evolution these days. These chapters are a bit understated, and could have used a stronger critique and a clearer focus, but they are still interesting.

Overall, this is an excellent book for every intelligent reader who is skeptical of the genetics reductionism of Dawkins and his followers, and who wants a more holistic (or as Levins and Lewontin put it, dialectic) understanding of evolutionary systems. Much recommended. show less