The Principle of Dynamic Holism: guiding methodology for investigating cognition in non-neuronal organisms

Abstract Basal cognition investigates working upwards from non-neuronal organisms. Since it is committed to empirically testable hypotheses, a methodological challenge arises: how can experiments avoid using zoo-centric assumptions that ignore the ecological contexts might elicit cognitively driven behaviour in organisms? To meet this challenge, I articulate Principle of Dynamic Holism (PDH), principle for guiding research on cognition. PDH’s relation holistic programmes human-focused cognitive science and psychology described then an argument analogy based developmental biology presented. Lastly, two exemplifying need PDH are examined.