- Paperback: 280 pages
- Publisher: Duke University Press; 2nd Revised edition edition (1 May 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0822324660
- ISBN-13: 978-0822324669
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 15 x 2.4 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 734,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
The Ontogeny of Information
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Product Description
Review
"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 "It is no exaggeration to claim that [Oyama] has resolved the nature-nurture dispute and provided an altogether new vision of the processes of development and evolution."- Peter Klopfer, Duke University
Product Description
"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 and unpredictable 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 non-specialists, to re-examine the existing nature-nurture dichotomy as it relates to the history and formation of organisms.
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First Sentence
Those who have argued over the origin of ideas and of biological beings have usually agreed that form in some sense preexists its appearance in minds and bodies. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Those who have argued over the origin of ideas and of biological beings have usually agreed that form in some sense preexists its appearance in minds and bodies. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Great Book
29 Mar 2002
Format:Paperback
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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