The origin, diagnostic attributes and practical application of co-evolutionary theory

Co-evolutionary theories from the biological sciences have been widely adopted by researchers in other fields of research. We take the unusual step of looking beyond the more recent literature of the 1960s to co-evolutionary models from the nineteenth century. We argue that the Darwin-Huxley synthesis was unusual and that obscuring this distinctiveness merely represents conventional ideas about complexity, uncertainty and co-dynamic change in an unfamiliar form. The price we pay for this new interpretation is a degradation of insight and potential applicability in the field of competitive, sustainable development. By advocating a pragmatic distinction of evolutionary from mechanistic dynamics, we make connections between co-evolutionary theory and earlier research on complex dynamics, particularly in respect of socio-natural adaptability. Practical advice is given to help researchers distinguish co-evolutionary dynamics from more general co-dynamic processes, and policy instruments for managing co-evolutionary stress are outlined.