A version of the Epigenetic Landscape metaphor to think complexity over time in the life sciences

In this seminar I would like to propose a version of Conrad Waddington’s Epigenetic landscape metaphor as a thought model for thinking development of all kinds relative to living organisms. Epigenesis here accounts for the fact that “…… individual development is characterized by an increase in novelty and complexity of organization over time” (Gottlieb, 2003). I will, in particular, explore one consequence of this definition, namely that at each moment in development, what is happening next is dependent on the present state of the whole organism-environment system and its history. The topography of the landscape represents the combination of all factors that influence the life trajectory of an organism, from genes to ideologies in humans, that is, both factors internal to the organism and external factors. Particular attention is given to agency, with the implication that the activity of the organism will influence both internal and external influences. Thus, among other things, the organism to a certain extent shapes its own environment. Furthermore, semiosis, that is, the human use of signs and symbols, gives an exponential increase in complexity over time, as past experiences, and even the past experiences of other people, may be recalled and communicated among humans. This version of the Epigenetic landscape metaphor is discussed in relation to two concepts central for all kinds of science. First, the concept of causality, in its classical sense of efficient causality, is rejected in favor of the alternative concept of constraint. It is argued that the concept of constraint better handles complexity over time, accounting both for stability and change. In the landscape, the topography represents the constraints for a given developmental trajectory. Second, and more tentatively, the concept of emergence, central to Dynamic Systems Theories, is discussed as the self-organization of lower-level constraints into a higher-order constraint with possible important impacts on the landscape. A very important caveat for this version of the Epigenetic landscape metaphor is that the landscape is ever-changing, also in moments of stability. Therefore, instead of the usual image of a hillside (which is static) it is suggested to imagine an (impossible) sloping, agitated sea surface, where the long waves of the ocean are intercepted by side winds, making the valleys of the waves more or less unpredictable. Under such circumstances, what may be scientific in the Life Sciences?? How can we make science out of this complexity?