Book Review: Evolution at a Tipping Point

KLI Senior Postdoc Fellow Enrico Petracca’s article, ‘Evolution at a Tipping Point’ in the journal Biological Theory, is a review of the book Evolution Evolving (Princeton University Press) which is jointly authored by Kevin Lala, Tobias Uller, Nathalie Feiner, Marcus Feldman, and Scott Gilbert.

While the contemporary understanding of evolutionary biology has been, hitherto, mostly based on ‘the modern synthesis’, this book provides a critical mass of arguments and evidences in favor of an alternative view of evolution, called “extended evolutionary synthesis” (EES), so that that it is no longer possible to ignore or dismiss this concept. In his review, Enrico notes that this weight of evidence could very much be compared to a “tipping point” in evolutionary theory.

The review points out how the book dispels common criticisms levelled at EES, which has over the years variously been accused of dealing with phenomena that are biologically impossible, rare, or of insufficient magnitude. The review also emphasizes how EES sets an inherently interdisciplinary research agenda in evolutionary theory by fostering a programmatic alliance with disciplines considered far from the evolutionary discourse, such as the social sciences and humanities.

Shedding light on the criticisms and controversies that surrounded the introduction of the EES concept, this review whets the interests of both specialists and generalists, and in Enrico’s words – “the reader (of the book) will feel the rare and invigorating sense of being on the verge of something momentous: the tipping point, at which EES becomes necessary.”

Publication: Petracca, E. (2025). Evolution at a Tipping Point. Biological Theory, 1-11.