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NX L UF ‘ER? What his hypothesis suggests is that present forms of life are influenced by previous generations of the same type; it is concerned with the repetition of forms. The greater the num- bers the greater the influence, so it becomes more likely over time that current forms will be patterned on their ancestors. While this sounds like a reasonable proposition it has some amazing implications. It is also a radical departure from the jdea that all lifeforms are solely determined by their genetic inheritance. Morphogenetic Fields Formative causation works through what Sheldrake has called morphogenetic fields. These can be regarded as analogous to known fields of physics because the effects they cause are observable even though they themselves are not, like gravitational or electromagnetic fields. Since each type of organism has its own characteristic form each must have its own specific kind of morphogenetic field - one for protozoa, one for amoeba, one for muscle cells of earthworms, another for sheep’s kidneys, one for elephants, another for each type of tree and so on. Atall levels of complexity the forms of systems are developed and maintained by morphogenetic fields. Morphogenetic fields do not act alone, but in conjunction with traditional energetic and chemical causes studied by bio- physicists. However something has to account for the emer- gence of pattern and form in organisms, and Sheldrake sug- gests that this is due to the action of specific morphogenetic fields, These are hierarchically organised, from cells to tissues to organs then to organisms as a whole, working at each level to organise the processes of growth and development. The higher-level fields restrict and pattern the lower ones. The idea of a causal influence from previous similar forms requires an action across space and time unlike any known type of physical action. The medium for this action is called morphic resonance, which operates like radio transmissions that can be picked up by tuning a receiver to a particular frequency. Present forms are receivers for the ‘transmissions’ from the past and so their development is influenced by these upert Sheldrake is an English bio- y) chemist who studied cell biology, the t development of plants and the ageing — of cells. In 1983 he published A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Formative Causation, written over a year and a half in an ashram in southern India. This book proveked great controversy, leading journal Nature saying that it was “the best candidate for burning for What his hypothesis suggests is that present forms of life are influenced by previous generations of the same type; it is concerned with the repetition of forms. The greater the num- bers the greater the influence, so it becomes more likely over time that current forms will be patterned on their ancestors. While this sounds like a reasonable proposition it has some amazing implications. It is also a radical departure from the jdea that all lifeforms are solely determined by their genetic inheritance. Morphogenetic Fields many years”’. Eres Sgt BZA?" 4 The questions Sheldrake tries to answer are ones that have remained unanswered although widely recognised by other bi- ologists. If he is right our understanding of the evolution of biological forms has been completely revised, if he is wrong the debate that has ensued can only help in the search for answers that have so far eluded orthodox science. His theory of formative causation is deceptively simple and has intuitive appeal because it connects the past with the present in a direct, though intangible, way. As such itisacausal factor unrecognised by physics and is outside the conven- tional, mechanistic approach that science is built upon. This approach treats living organisms as complex machines obey- ing the laws of physics and chemistry and seeks to explain life in terms of these laws. While extraordinarily successful in detailing the components and workings of organisms it has led to only a limited understanding of the complexity of life. Sheldrake is seeking a broader science of life.