Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In this Element we give an exposition of what we believe to be "biology's first law." We have labelled this law the "Zero Force Evolutionary Law" (ZFEL). It states: "In any evolutionary system in which there is variation and heredity, there is a tendency for diversity and complexity to increase, one that is always present but that may be opposed or augmented by natural selection, other forces, or constraints acting on diversity or complexity." This law is something with the status in evolutionary biology of Newton's first law of motion in mechanics -- a background condition of stability. We believe that through this law we can throw light on hitherto-puzzling aspects of the evolutionary process, including the tendency of organisms to diversity and the somewhat vague, but unmistakable, progressive nature of the evolutionary process.