ABOUT THIS BOOK

Analyzes the reasons why biologists have referred to and continue to refer to plasticity.

Plasticity has become an important topic in biology, with some even wondering if it has now acquired the theoretical importance in biology that the concept of the gene enjoyed at the beginning of the last century. In this historical and epistemological study, philosopher Antonine Nicoglou shows how the recurrence of the general idea of plasticity—throughout the history of the life sciences—indicates its essential role in the way we think about life processes. Although plasticity has become a key element in new evolutionary thinking, she argues, its role in contemporary biology is also not insignificant. Rather, as mobilized in contemporary biology, plasticity most often seeks to account for the specific nature of living systems.

The book is divided into two parts. The first takes up the history of plasticity from Aristotle to contemporary biology; the second part offers an original way of distinguishing between different phenomena described by “plasticity.” In the process, the author explores what has led some biologists to speak of plasticity as a way of overcoming genetic determinism.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Antonine Nicoglou is associate professor of philosophy of science at the University of Tours.

REVIEWS

“Sometimes metaphorical, sometimes concrete, from Aristotle to the modern-day, plasticity concepts have been invoked in theories of embryology, heredity, and organismic change with a multitude of meanings implicit in the use. Philosopher Antonine Nicoglou systematically and expertly guides the reader through a long and complex story.”

— Choice

“A highly relevant and detailed account of plasticity in biology that will be of interest to audiences in philosophy of science, among others.”

— BJPS Review of Books

“Convincing and useful for researchers looking to clarify their expositions on these issues.”

— Metascience

“Plasticity in the Life Sciences is a great example of an integrative historical and philosophical research on a scientific concept. The book will be of particular interest to philosophers of biology concerned with the historical and epistemological dimensions of plasticity, and it also offers material that scholars in developmental biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology, as well as other fields that refer to plasticity, may find stimulating.”

— Acta Biotheoretica

“Philosophers of biology have been increasingly interested in the concept of plasticity in recent years, but a detailed philosophical treatment of the topic has yet to appear. Nicoglou’s excellent book therefore fills a major need. Nicoglou traces the history of the concept of plasticity and its use in different biological disciplines from Aristotle to the present, bringing out a wide range of significant continuities and differences and illuminating the varying relation of plasticity to crucial concepts such as variation, diversity, novelty, adaptation, regulation, and more. As well as being an essential read for anyone interested in the lively contemporary discussions of plasticity, this is a fine example of the integrated historical and philosophical approach to understanding biology.”

— John Dupré, author of “Processes of Life: Essays in the Philosophy of Biology”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Plasticity

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