Abstract

Context: Mainstream explicative paradigms on biological evolution are currently open to discussion. Problem: As Maturana and I have previously argued, an organism-centered view of biological evolution needs to be developed. Method: I reassess the main biological phenomena from a systemic-dynamic perspective. Results: Behavior, and not genetics, is the main factor driving the course of structural changes of organisms, in both ontogeny and phylogeny. Implications: The conceptual view developed in this article should lead to a critical appraisal of the fundaments of current mainstream thinking on biological evolution. Constructivist content: The concept of natural drift explicated in this article draws on Maturana’s view on systems dynamics, historical processes, biological autonomy, recursivity, and subject-dependent reality.