SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 343much more exciting feature of evolution than fi xed adaptations to fi xed
niches, the preoccupation of neo- Darwinism. Yet another is that this dy-
namical perspective off ers, at last, the foundations of a genuine theory of
intelligence and its evolution.
Chapter 5 described developmental systems as an evolutionary exten-
sion of the same dynamic logic: that is, the regulation of components in
single cells has been extended to regulate interactions among cells in or-
der to deal with more changeable environments. Many illustrations were
given of the role of that logic in transforming that original “speck” of
matter into bodies and brains. A vast variety of cells thus emerges; each
type in just the right place at just the right time, derived from the structural
information between them and utilizing genes from a common genome.
So development itself is an adaptable intelligent pro cess, not a fi xed
program. Th at adaptability is seen in the “canalization” of some ave nues
of development and the extreme plasticity of others (especially in brains).
In development, genes are used as servants, according to current needs,
not its masters: functional potentials are not merely expressed; they are
made.
Intelligent developmental systems thus add a new dynamical level—
an intercellular one—to those already evolved in the single cell. Th e co-
ordination of numerous players as a team, in an ever- changing environ-
ment, is what we call physiology. So chapter 5 also described how
physiology amplifi es and extends developmental functions and becomes
a new intelligent system— a new level of intelligence— dealing with envi-
ronmental change on a life- long basis. Its dynamic pro cesses coordinate
harmonious responses from its many parts, whether these are cell or
tissue pro cesses, such as hormone production, or gross body move-
ments. Th us they create the major life transitions (e.g., metamorphosis in
reptiles and insects, or puberty in mammals). And they constantly reca-
librate the system as needed.
Th e chapter also explained how the conventional notion of individual
diff erences in mental ability was based on intuitions from physiology.
However, when individuals are mea sured for biomarkers of physiological
function, it is found that the vast majority operate perfectly normally
within very wide ranges. Th at is, what ever the variation of detail, the whole
is “good enough” for doing what it needs to do.
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