The Fragility of Evolution

Book excerpt: his work offers an alternative paradigm for viewing life and its dynamic capacity for change. Rather than focusing on the end result of evolution with concepts such as resilience and fitness, it focuses on the actual process of change, in which life goes through a fragile period. Using plain-spoken language and based on an earlier scholarly work, it examines six biological domains which exhibit fragility and make for evolutionary novelty. They are: 1) the organism's dynamic genome, which exhibits a remarkable fluidity; 2) Symbiosis, involving the creative merger of two types of organisms; 3) Sexuality, in which the merger of sexes produces unique offspring; 4) Multicellularity, which makes for most of earth's macroscopic life; 5) Development, change resulting from the fragile period of immaturity of organisms; 6) The principle of the "head", a holistic/controlling dimension of the organism which is inherently fragile and dynamic; 7) The social dimension with the fragility of cooperative and competitive interactions, and; 8) ecological dimension with its interwoven, delicate web of connections. To this we add a "cumulative dimension" which embraces a spirituality of biology. Teaching our youth and having the public become aware of such a model which focuses on the fragility and sacrificial dimension of dynamic change, would serve to enhance our personal lives and work to increase the chances for the earth and humanity's survival.