Managing variation in the investigation of organismal development: problems and opportunities
Lowe, James W. E.
Date: 9 October 2015
Journal
History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Publisher
Springer
Publisher DOI
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Abstract
This paper aims to clarify the consequences of new scientific and philosophical
approaches for the practical-theoretical framework of modern developmental biology. I
highlight normal development, and the instructive-permissive distinction, as key parts
of this framework which shape how variation is conceptualised and managed.
Furthermore, ...
This paper aims to clarify the consequences of new scientific and philosophical
approaches for the practical-theoretical framework of modern developmental biology. I
highlight normal development, and the instructive-permissive distinction, as key parts
of this framework which shape how variation is conceptualised and managed.
Furthermore, I establish the different dimensions of biological variation. Using the
analytical frame established by this, I interpret a selection of examples as challenges to
the instructive-permissive distinction. These examples include the phenomena of
developmental plasticity and transdifferentiation, the role of the microbiome in
development, and new methodological approaches to standardisation and the
assessment of causes.
In the light of these examples, the extent of variation exhibited by developing
organisms and the questions that scientists increasingly ask concerning variation, I
argue that it is no longer appropriate for the instructive-permissive distinction to
underpin normal development. Furthermore, I argue that investigations into organismal
development should investigate the effects of a wider range of kinds of variation. I
close by examining various possible opportunities for producing and using normal
development free of the assumptions of the instructive-permissive distinction. These
opportunities are afforded by recent developments, which include new ways of
producing standards, and the ability to produce, store, and process large quantities of
data.
Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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