The new, extended or inclusive evolutionary synthesis: where is it at and going?

Discontent with “the modern evolutionary synthesis” i.e. population genetics which defined evolution as a change in gene frequencies in a population brought about by mutation, migration, drift and selection is widespread. Admittedly, discontents have arisen from time to time historically (Huneman and Walsh eds. 2017), and it was always recognized that this was a micro definition and did not take into account the big picture, e.g. Darwin’s definition of evolution as “descent with modification”. However, particularly since Pigliucci (2007), Laland et. al. (2014), Walsh (2014), Wray et. al. (2014), a meeting of the British Royal Society on “New Trends in Evolutionary Biology: Biological, Philosophical and Social Science Perspectives” (Blute 2017), and Pigliucci and Müller (2020), discontents with the micro version have sharpened. This has commonly been described as the need for a new, extended or inclusive evolutionary synthesis. The issue has even entered the mass media (Buranyi 2022). However, claims and discussions about what needs to be added (epigenetic inheritance, development, ecological influences on development, niche construction, evolution learning, and even agency for example) have been more common than the actual doing of it. So the purpose of this session(s) is to discuss the question of where exactly the new, extended or inclusive evolutionary synthesis is at and where it is going.                                                            Blute, M. (2017) Three Modes of Evolution by Natural Selection and Drift: A New Or an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis? Biological Theory 12(2):67-71.Buranyi, S (2022) Do we need a new theory of evolution?  The Guardian, The Long Read,  July 2.Huneman P and Walsh DM (eds.) (2017) Challenging the Modern Synthesis. Oxford, Oxford University Press.Laland K et. al. (2014) Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? Yes, urgently. Nature 514:161-164.                                                                                      Pigliucci M (2007) Do we need an extended evolutionary synthesis? Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution 61:2743-2749.Pigliucci M and Muller GB (2010) Evolution: The Extended Synthesis. MIT Press, Cambridge.Walsh, DM (2014) Organisms, Agency, and Evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Wray, GA (2014) Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? No, all is well. Nature 514:161-164.