Above the Gene, Beyond Biology: Toward a Philosophy of Epigenetics

328 Pages·2018·15.488 MB·English

by  Jan Baedke

ABOVE THE GENE, BEYOND BIOLOGY

ABOVE THE GENE,
BEYOND BIOLOGY
TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY
OF EPIGENETICS
JAN BAEDKE
University of Pittsburgh Press
Published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15260
Copyright © 2018, University of Pittsburgh Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Printed on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cataloging-in-Publication data is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 13: 978-0-8229-4521-5
Cover art: (foreground) Line drawing adaptation of the epigenetic landscape into an
ontogenetic landscape for locomotion, from E. Thelen and L. B. Smith, “Dynamic
Systems Theories,” in Handbook of Child Psychology, 5th ed., vol. 1, edited by W. Da-
mon and R. M. Lerner (New York: Wiley, 1998); (background) original art courtesy of
DNA Art Gallery LLC.
Cover design by Joel W. Coggins
For A, U, and J, my epigenotype

”Epigenetics.” The science concerned with the causal analysis
of development.
CONRAD HAL WADDINGTON, 1952
I suppose the process of acceptance will pass through the usual
four stages:
1. This is worthless nonsense,
2. This is an interesting, but perverse, point of view,
3. This is true, but quite unimportant,
4. I always said so.
JOHN BURDON SANDERSON HALDANE, 1963

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
INTRODUCTION. WHAT IS EPIGENETICS? 1
1. HOW EPIGENETICS DEALS WITH BIOLOGICAL
COMPLEXITY 13
2. CHALLENGES OF EPIGENETICS IN LIGHT OF THE
EXTENDED EVOLUTIONARY SYNTHESIS 41
3. CAUSAL EXPLANATION 90
4. MECHANISTIC EXPLANATION 129
5. ASSESSING THE EXPLANATORY POWER OF
EPIGENETICS 168
CONCLUSION. A PHILOSOPHY OF EPIGENETICS 201
Notes 217
References 245
Index 301