Biology's First Law: The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to Increase in Evolutionary Systems

by Daniel W. McShea, Robert N. Brandon

Life on earth is characterized by three striking phenomena that demand adaptation—the marvelous fit between organism and environment; diversity—the great variety of organisms; and complexity—the enormous intricacy of their internal structure. Natural selection explains adaptation. But what explains diversity and complexity? Daniel W. McShea and Robert N. Brandon argue that there exists in evolution a spontaneous tendency toward increased diversity and complexity, one that acts whether natural selection is present or not. They call this tendency a biological law—the Zero-Force Evolutionary Law, or ZFEL. This law unifies the principles and data of biology under a single framework and invites a reconceptualization of the field of the same sort that Newton’s First Law brought to physics.   Biology’s First Law shows how the ZFEL can be applied to the study of diversity and complexity and examines its wider implications for biology. Intended for evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, and other scientists studying complex systems, and written in a concise and engaging format that speaks to students and interdisciplinary practitioners alike, this book will also find an appreciative audience in the philosophy of science.

Genres: Biology, Science, Evolution, Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[jrendocrine at least reading is good · Rating 1 out of 5]

184 pages of pontification.

More philosophy than biology where 2 guys proclaim a new law - that greater complexity through generations is built into biology, and it is natural selection that limits endless change.

Maybe I am so idiotic that it seems just a way of restating A = B as B = C.

Anyway, it was boring, and definitely not something I enjoyed. I'm realizing that philosophizing and pontification are not in my wheelhouse.

[Karate1kid · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me say that this is a great idea - I loved it. It is elegant and I am sure that it is an important paradigm shift in the theory of evolution.

The main topic of the book can be summarized by the following quote: "We are proposing both a new law and a gestalt shift. The law is a universal tendency for diversity and complexity to increase. And the gestalt shift places this tendency in the background, moving the effect of natural selection and various constraints on diversity and complexity to the foreground."

One thing I didn't like about the book is that it was too long. Yes, maybe the presentation of a paradigm shift takes repetition and some examples, but I didn't feel this should be longer than an essay.

Another problematic issue was the terminology. Complexity has a widely understood meaning today, yet the authors insist on using it in another way. They define 'pure complexity':

"Pure complexity is not connectedness or integration. It is not the length of the shortest description of a system or of the algorithm for generating it. It has nothing to do with the amount of energy a system uses or how it uses it. In this book, the phrase “pure complexity,” or just “complexity” alone and unmodified, always means number of part types or differentiation among parts. And nothing more."

Well, if it is not all the things on the list above maybe they should have used some other, less confusing name. After all, some people are looking for information on what the authors name 'colloquial complexity'. As I understand this book, the authors have two dimensions of diversity: (i) diversity between organisms; (ii) diversity (of parts) within an organism ('pure complexity').

So, I highly recommend this book - read the first chapter to get the general idea and keep reading if you need more information.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A provocative book arguing life spontaneously becomes more complex and diverse. But is it too early to speak of a law? See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...