INHERITANCE OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1700 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
The famous controversy about Lamarckian inheritance of acquired characteristics has never been definitively settled.
We need an explanation about the: “… process whereby the newer inventions of adaptive behavior are sunk deeper into the biological system of the organism”, as stated by G. BATESON. (1973, p.225)
In cultural systems among humans (and possibly among some social superior animals) the model of transmission of knowledge and behaviors from one generation to the following through imprinting, training and learning (KORZYBSKI's time binding) seems to be satisfactory. It is even possible that this phenomenon inspired the very Lamarckian concept.
On the other hand, no convincing mechanism of inheritance of phenotypically acquired biological characters, other than genetic mutations, has yet been found.
Observations of social animals seems to indicate that only individually acquired information can be transmitted, by imitation, or learning.
See also
(Archetype).