Part 4/9:
Collective Memory posits that organisms, rather than functioning solely based on their genetic coding, access a reservoir of shared experiences that inform their development. This means that adaptations and experiences of previous generations have the potential to affect the next, providing a pathway for knowledge transmission that transcends genetics.
Formative Causation, on the other hand, proposes that non-material principles shape the systems and forms of organisms. This concept broadens the discussion around how life evolves, exploring influences that might govern biological phenomena in ways that are not solely determined by genetic inheritance alone.