The Ontogeny of Information: Developmental Systems and Evolution (Science and Cultural Theory) 2nd Edition

by Susan Oyama (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0822324669

ISBN-10: 0822324660

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The Ontogeny of Information is a critical intervention into the ongoing and perpetually troubling nature-nurture debates surrounding human development. Originally published in 1985, this was a foundational text in what is now the substantial field of developmental systems theory. In this revised edition Susan Oyama argues compellingly that nature and nurture are not alternative influences on human development but, rather, developmental products and the developmental processes that produce them.
Information, says Oyama, is thought to reside in molecules, cells, tissues, and the environment. When something wondrous occurs in the world, we tend to question whether the information guiding the transformation was pre-encoded in the organism or installed through experience or instruction. Oyama looks beyond this either-or question to focus on the history of such developments. She shows that what developmental “information” does depends on what is already in place and what alternatives are available. She terms this process “constructive interactionism,” whereby each combination of genes and environmental influences simultaneously interacts to produce a unique result. Ontogeny, then, is the result of dynamic and complex interactions in multileveled developmental systems.
The Ontogeny of Information challenges specialists in the fields of developmental biology, philosophy of biology, psychology, and sociology, and even nonspecialists, to reexamine the existing nature-nurture dichotomy as it relates to the history and formation of organisms.

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Editorial Reviews

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"In the tale of the emperor's new clothes, the small boy's genius lay in his naive recognition of the great man's nudity. Oyama has a similar, if more sophisticated genius: she recognizes the subtle manner in which molecular biologists have allowed metaphors to replace explanations. It is no exaggeration to claim that she has resolved the nature-nurture dispute and provided an altogether new vision of the processes of development and evolution. --Peter Klopfer, Duke University

"The publication of this revised edition of The Ontogeny of Information is timely and welcome, especially given the current dominance of simplistic views about genetic causation, aided by constant misuse of the ideas of information, coding and programming. Oyama's classic discussion of these concepts combines patient, subtle dissection with bold and novel moves. The Ontogeny of Information is a work of brilliant originality and enduring relevance." --Peter Godfrey-Smith, Stanford University

"This is among the most important books on developmental theory published in the last several decades. It continues to be cited regularly in work from several different disciplines, including developmental biology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and psychology." --Robert Lickliter, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

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"This is among the most important books on developmental theory published in the last several decades. It continues to be cited regularly in work from several different disciplines, including developmental biology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and psychology."--Robert Lickliter, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

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Product details

Series: Science and Cultural Theory
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: Duke University Press Books; 2 edition (March 16, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0822324660
ISBN-13: 978-0822324669
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,087,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #248 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Biology > Developmental Biology
- #2680 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Biology & Life Sciences > Biology
- #6381 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution

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Ideophile

Intriguing Perspective

October 27, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The ideas presented in this book are very intriguing and thought-provoking, given the focus on genes and the genome in recent science writing ... a few of the thematic ones are:

1. Thinking of the genome as a program can be misleading. In particular, I can think of no-one who on using the notion of "program" to think about the genome would ever get around to considering the possibility that the "informational content" of a gene at one point in development can be different than the "informational content" of the exact same gene at another point in development. Yet, as Oyama explicates, this is precisely what can happen. As an organism develops, the way it "interprets" its genome also develops. That is, the "information content" of the genome develops. Which is one meaning of "The Ontogeny of Information" (but not the only one!). So to try to use the notion of "program" here can be misleading - the notion of "program" connotes a fixed "interpreter" that can execute any number of "programs", when in fact when it comes to an organism the "program" is fixed and is executed by any number of "interpreters".

2. Privileging the genome above all can be misleading. Many scientific perspectives read as if the genome were where all developmental activity is directed from. Oyama argues that this perspective is artificial and arbitrary. It is artificial because developmental systems are their own causes, to include being the causes of their genome; it is arbitrary because almost any component at all in the circular causal loop of life could be singled out as the director of the rest. As Oyama puts it, it would be just as easy to privilege the environment in this way (since environments can be constructed and reliably passed on from an organism to its progeny), and if you put your mind to it you will see how much of a Necker cube results from trying to privilege any one component over all of the others.

3. Information is relative. A number of philosophical perspectives posit information as objective and existing independent of any point of view. Oyama, on the other hand, argues that information only comes into existence when two or more components ("interactants") of a developmental system come into contact. That is, information is an attribute of the interactive relationship between components. And in that sense, information has a contingent and subjective existence. It has a developmental history. Again, "The Ontogeny of Information".

This is but a tiny sampling of the ideas presented in this book - I simply chose three main ideas that I found to be particularly intriguing to highlight here. If they sound intriguing to you, too, I highly recommend that you read this book.

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L. Wechsler

Great Book

March 29, 2002

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Sorry that my review is so small. This is a great book about the dichotomy of genes and environment and how there is no real line dividing the 2. It speaks of some of the misconceptions that way of thinking produces. It also discusses some of the common metaphors that have been used in the past relating genes to "blue prints" and the such and how these metaphors should be gotton rid of. The ingredients that go into an oransism and inheritance are many which includes genes, atmosphere, culture, and many more that she discuses. All are important in the construction of an organism and none are more important then any other. She also discuses the silliness of the nature nurture debate. I think this book and way of thinking is very important for science, social sciences and just the everyday [mis]conceptions most people in the western world have of the dualism of genetics and environment.

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wmitch

fascinating and very well written

July 8, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I only recently started reading in this field. This book is very clear, well written, and covers many of the latest developments in the field in a way that even a non-specialist like me can understand it and feel like I am learning a lot. It's a gem.

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