Karola Stotz
Karola Stotz | |
---|---|
Born | Philosophy of cognitive science, Philosophy of science | September 8, 1963
Notable ideas | Developmental niche construction, Developmental systems account of human nature |
Karola Stotz (September 8, 1963 – October 14, 2019) was a German scholar of philosophy of biology, cognitive science, and philosophy of science.[1][2] With Paul E. Griffiths, she pioneered the use of experimental philosophy methods in the field of philosophy of science.[3]
Education and career
Stotz was born in
Non-genetic inheritance and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis
In different papers Stotz argues for an
"Environments, particularly in the form of developmental environments, do not just select for variation, they also create new variation by influencing development through the liable transmission of non-genetic but heritable information."[6]
Developmental Niche Construction
Stotz introduced the concept of Developmental Niche Construction as an integrative framework for the study of various non-genetic (exogenetic) inheritance mechanisms and for an explanation of how the environment (physical, biological or social) can construct new heritable variations during individual development. This concept originated in the idea of the 'ontogenetic niche' introduced in 1987 by developmental psychobiologists Meredith West and Andrew King,[7] and theory of 'niche construction' presented by biologist John Odling-Smee in 1988.[8] Stotz juxtaposes Developmental Niche Construction with Niche Constriction Theory and its concept of the 'Selective Niche' that stresses the role of selection in evolution rather than the production of new variation in developmental systems.[9] She reconstructs the developmental system of DST as the Organism-Developmental Niche System. It informs the Developmental Systems Account of Human Nature developed together with Paul Griffiths.[10][11]
Extended Evolutionary Psychology
According to Stotz, there is a natural affinity between the theoretical view of the nature of the mind and an understanding of how the mind developed and evolved. "Which kind of evolutionary theory you apply matters deeply to which kind of (evolutionary) psychology you get."[6] For example, the ideas of nativist's evolutionary psychologists are often based on the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis which explains the origin of behavioral, social and cognitive capacities by the sudden appearance of genetically determined mental modules or representational systems. As an alternative, Stotz proposes an Extended Evolutionary Psychology based on ideas of an Extended Evolutionary synthesis, Developmental Systems Theory, and embodied, embedded, enacted and extended models of cognition. She states that these approaches are a more appropriate alternative to traditional cognitivism and
Selected publications
- Griffiths, P. E., Stotz, K. (2018). Developmental Systems Theory as a Process Theory. In: Daniel J. Nicholson and John Dupre (Eds.) Everything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology. Oxford: OUP.
- Stotz, K. (2014) Extended evolutionary psychology: the importance of transgenerational developmental plasticity // Frontiers in Psychology 5: 908. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00908
- Griffiths, P., Stotz, K. (2013) Genetics and philosophy: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
- Stotz, K. (2017) Why developmental niche construction is not selective niche construction: and why it matters // Interface Focus, 7(5), 20160157.
- Stotz, K. Allen, C. (2012) From cell-surface receptors to higher learning: a whole world of experience. In: Philosophy of Behavioral Biology. Katie Plaisance and Thomas Reydon (Eds.) Boston: Springer, 85–123.
- Griffiths, P. E., Stotz, K. (2008) Experimental Philosophy of Science // Philosophy Compass, 3 (3): 507–721.
References
- ^ a b "Obituary: Stotz, Dr Karola". Manly Daily. Sydney. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ Allen, Colin (October 2019). "Karola Stotz (1963–2019)". ISHPSSB. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ Griffiths, P. E., Stotz, K. (2008) Experimental Philosophy of Science // Philosophy Compass, 3 (3):507-721.
- ^ "Causal Foundations of Biological Information | Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc". www.templetonworldcharity.org. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018.
- ^ Stotz, K. (2014) Extended evolutionary psychology: the importance of transgenerational developmental plasticity // Frontiers in Psychology 5: 908. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00908
- ^ a b Stotz, K. (2014) Extended evolutionary psychology: the importance of transgenerational developmental plasticity // Frontiers in Psychology 5: 908. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00908. P.2
- ^ West, M. J., King, A. P. (1987). Settling nature and nurture into an ontogenetic niche // Developmental Psychobiology: The Journal of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, 20(5): 549-562.
- ^ Odling-Smee F. J. (1988). Niche-constructing phenotypes. In H. C. Plotkin (Ed.), The role of behavior in evolution (pp. 73-132). Cambridge, MA, US: The MIT Press.
- ^ Stotz, K. (2017). Why developmental niche construction is not selective niche construction: and why it matters. Interface Focus, 7(5), 20160157.
- ^ Griffiths, P., Stotz, K. (2018) A Developmental Systems Account of Human Nature. In E. Hannon and T. Lewens (Eds.) Why we disagree about human nature. Oxford University Press, pp. 58-75.
- ^ Stotz, K. (2010) Human Nature and Cognitive-Developmental Niche construction // Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9 (4): 483-501.
- ^ Stotz, K. (2014) Extended evolutionary psychology: the importance of transgenerational developmental plasticity // Frontiers in Psychology 5: 908. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00908. P.9-12.