Intro.

“I believe in the gene thing…I have very high aptitude” –Donald J. Trump

Nature versus nurture, genetic or environmental, innate or learned, the perpetual debate of where organisms, and their behavior, come from usually leads to troubling and unrealistic dichotomies. This blog is about developmental systems theory and its intersection with evolution, natural history, and politics. In current times, when white house insiders are challenging each other to I.Q. tests, the right is co-opting population genetics and evolutionary psychology to serve political ends, and academic discussion of evolution only tangentially considers how behavior develops, an alternate perspective on just what it means to be an organism is necessary. Here I aim to highlight the rich multi-causal tapestry that shapes individual development, avoiding the traps of reductionism and placing the organism at center stage.

A little about myself: I am a scientist who studies the development of social behavior in animals. I have a keen interest in how early, recurrent, and predictable social experiences contribute the development of behavior during periods of adolescence, and influence on the ability to successfully interact and reproduce with others as adults.