The Selection of the Organizing Self

The Selection of the Organizing Self is a detailed study of the relations between self organizing theories in biology and the Darwinian theory. The simulation of biological system as interacting networks had revealed the capacity of such systems to develop structures and functions out of simple interactions between basic units. According to self organization theories the role of natural selection as the drive of change in living systems had narrowed down to an outer mechanism of choosing between functional biological systems. The book examines the understanding of natural selection in Darwinian and especially neo-Darwinian theories and compares them with revised concept of natural selection in self organization theories. The outgrowth of biological structures rather than the emergence of biological functions is the most significant difference between the two interpretations of biological systems.

Autorentext

received her BA in biology from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After a short experience in laboratory work in advanced student project Dar moved to the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for her second degree. Dar wrote her masters thesis on the reception of Barbara McClintock's discovery of transposable elements.