Evolution in Four Dimensions

Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life is a book by Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb about evolutionary biology. First published by the MIT Press imprint Bradford Books in 2005, the book challenges the gene-centric view of evolution for what the authors consider its excessive focus on the role of DNA sequences in evolution and biological inheritance. The book's title refers to the argument made by the authors that evolution by natural selection, rather than only acting on DNA sequence variation, acts on four different systems or "dimensions": genetic, epigenetic, behavioral, and symbolic. It includes cartoon illustrations by Anna Zeligowski, an artist and physician.[1]

Evolution in Four Dimensions
AuthorEva Jablonka, Marion J. Lamb
IllustratorAnna Zeligowski
SubjectEvolutionary biology
PublisherBradford Books
Publication date
2005
Pages480
ISBN9780262101073
OCLC1087677790

Reviews

Steven Rose reviewed Evolution in Four Dimensions favorably for the Guardian, describing it as "a lucid book that restores subtlety to evolutionary theory".[2] Andrew Lloyd of St. Vincent's University Hospital reviewed the book favorably as well, describing it as "engagingly well-written" and praising the cartoon illustrations.[3] Stuart Newman also reviewed Evolution favorably, calling it "gracefully written, in a tone that is unusually relaxed and confident given the complexity and broad range of its subject matter and the iconoclastic ideas of the authors."[4] Michael Benton praised it as "one of the best written [books] that I have read in years: clear, succinct, thoroughly signposted, and with ample summaries and reviews of difficult areas."[5] In a more mixed review of the 2017 revised edition, Russell Bonduriansky of the University of New South Wales argued, "Jablonka and Lamb do not quite pull off the Herculean feat of clarifying how all of these dimensions and processes [referring to the "four dimensions"] fit together into a coherent picture of evolution. Yet, this book certainly succeeds in a more modest but still important objective—to compel readers to ponder new evidence and question long-held assumptions."[6] Similarly, Aaron D. Blackwell argued that Jablonka and Lamb propose a new theory of evolution based on the four dimensions they describe, but fail to detail what exactly such a theory would look like. Blackwell acknowledges, however, that "it is hard to fault them for this one" because "[o]ur understandings of epigenetics and cultural inheritance are still limited".[7]

References
  1. "Evolution in Four Dimensions". The MIT Press. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  2. Rose S (2005-07-22). "Review: Four Dimensions by Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  3. Lloyd A (2005). "Jablonka E, Lamb MJ: Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life". BioMedical Engineering OnLine. 4 (68): 68. doi:10.1186/1475-925X-4-68. PMC 1327686.
  4. Newman SA (2007-05-22). "Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life. Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb". Integrative and Comparative Biology. 47 (6): 901–903. doi:10.1093/icb/icm099. ISSN 1540-7063.
  5. Benton M (2005-11-01). "Evolution in four dimensions: Genetic, epigenetic, behavioral, and symbolic variation in the history of life". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 115 (11): 2961. doi:10.1172/JCI27017. PMC 1265888.
  6. Bonduriansky R (March 2017). "Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life. Revised Edition. Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology. By Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb; illustrated by Anna Zeligowski. A Bradford Book. Cambridge (Massachusetts): MIT Press. $29.95 (paper). xii + 563 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-262-52584-8. 2014". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 92 (1): 95–96. doi:10.1086/690868. ISSN 0033-5770.
  7. Blackwell AD (2015-05-06). "Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (Revised Edition). Edited by Eva Jablonka and Marion J.Lamb. 576 pp. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 2014. $29.95 (paper), $20.95 (e-book)". American Journal of Human Biology. 27 (3): 440–441. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22721.
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