This bibliography gathers publications over many years from a variety of researchers exploring topics of agency, directionality, and function (among others) with a special emphasis on CASP members. It began with work from teams within the initial Agency, Directionality and Function project and continues to be populated with papers and articles from diverse researchers looking to further develop and expand ways of working interdisciplinarily on the complex theme of teleology.
Included in the bibliography are entries for publications and books that many scholars involved in the Agency, Directionality and Function project recommended as foundational texts in their field of study. We welcome suggestions for additions to the bibliography from CASP members.
Directionality in Development and Evolution
Munasinghe, M., & Ågren, J. A. (2023). When and why are mitochondria paternally inherited? Current Opinion in Genetics & Development, 80, 102053.
Newman, S. A. (2023). Inherency and agency in the origin and evolution of biological functions. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 139(4), 487–502.
Newman, S.A. (2012). "Physico-genetic determinants in the evolution of development." Science 338:217–219.
Newman, S.A. (2016). "’Biogeneric’ developmental processes: drivers of major transitions in animal evolution." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371(1701). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0443.>
Newman, S.A. (2022). “Form, function, agency: sources of natural purpose in animal evolution.” In Evolution ‘on Purpose’: Teleonomy in Living Systems. Edited by P. Corning, D. Noble, J. Shapiro and R. Vane-Wright. Cambridge (MA): The MIT Press.
O’Malley, M.A. and Powell, R. (2016). “Major problems in evolutionary transitions: how a metabolic perspective can enrich our understanding of macroevolution.” Biology & Philosophy 31:159–189.
Oderberg, D. S. (2021). Restoring the Hierarchy of Being. In W. M. R. Simpson, R. C. Koons, & J. Orr, Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Theology of Nature (1st ed., pp. 94–124). Routledge.
Pettersen, A. K., Ruuskanen, S., Nord, A., Nilsson, J. F., Miñano, M. R., Fitzpatrick, L. J., While, G. M., & Uller, T. (2023). Population divergence in maternal investment and embryo energy use and allocation suggests adaptive responses to cool climates. Journal of Animal Ecology, 1365-2656.13971.
Provine, W. (1989). “Progress in evolution and meaning in life.” In Evolutionary Progress. Edited by M.H. Nitecki. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 49–74.
Rosslenbroich, B. (2023). Evolutionary changes in the capacity for organismic autonomy. The Journal of Physiology, JP284414.
Rosslenbroich, B. (2023). Properties of Life: Toward a Theory of Organismic Biology. The MIT Press.
Roy, R., Moreno, N., Brockman, S. A., Kostanecki, A., Zambre, A., Holl, C., Solhaug, E. M., Minami, A., Snell-Rood, E. C., Hampton, M., Bee, M. A., Chiari, Y., Hegeman, A. D., & Carter, C. J. (2022). Convergent evolution of a blood-red nectar pigment in vertebrate-pollinated flowers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(5), e2114420119.
Scott-Phillips, T.C., K.N. Laland, D.M. Shuker, T.E. Dickins and S.A. West. (2014). "The niche construction perspective: a critical appraisal." Evolution 68(5):1231–1243.
Sepkoski Jr., J.J., Bambach, R.K., Raup, D.M. and Valentine, J.W. (1981). “Phanerozoic marine diversity and the fossil record.” Nature 291:435–437.
Simpson, G.G. (1944). Tempo and Mode in Evolution. New York: Columbia University Press.
Snell‐Rood, E. C., & Ehlman, S. M. (2023). Developing the genotype‐to‐phenotype relationship in evolutionary theory: A primer of developmental features. Evolution & Development, ede.12434.
Sterelny, K. and Calcott, B. (2011). The Major Transitions in Evolution Revisited. Cambridge (MA): The MIT Press.
Sultan, S.E. (2015). Organism and Environment: Ecological Development, Niche Construction, and Adaptation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Szathmary, E. (2015). “Toward major transitions theory 2.0.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, United States of America 112:10104–10111.
Travassos-Britto, B., Pardini, R., El-Hani, C. N., & Prado, P. I. (2021). A pragmatic approach for producing theoretical syntheses in ecology. PLoS ONE, 16(12 December).
Vanadzina, K., Street, S. E., Healy, S. D., Laland, K. N., & Sheard, C. (2022). Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds. Journal of Animal Ecology, 1365-2656.13815.
Vole, K.L., H.H. Øistein, L.H. Liow, and N.C. Stenseth (2015). “The role of biotic forces in driving macroevolution: beyond the Red Queen.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Part B: Biological Sciences 282:20150186. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0186.
Watson, Richard A., Levin, Michael., Lewens, Tim. (2025). Evolution by natural induction. Interface Focus 15 (6): 20250025. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2025.0025
Watson, Richard A., Levin, Michael., Lewens, Tim. (2025). Evolution by natural induction II: further interactions with natural selection. Interface Focus 15 (6): 20250036. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2025.0036
Zenil-Ferguson, R., McEntee, J. P., Burleigh, J. G., & Duckworth, R. A. (2023). Linking Ecological Specialization to Its Macroevolutionary Consequences: An Example with Passerine Nest Type. Systematic Biology, 72(2), 294–306.