ABSTRACT
This chapter shows, the crux of the problem lies in understanding processes of ontogenetic development. It explores the dichotomy between innate capacities and acquired competencies, through a focus on the emergent properties of dynamic systems. According to a now well-established scenario, it was during the Pleistocene era, while living as hunters and gatherers, that human beings evolved to be the kinds of creatures they are today. The environments of ancestral hunter-gatherers, however, were very different from those encountered by the majority of the world's inhabitants today. Interactionism describes development as an unfolding relation between genes and environment. The process of learning by guided rediscovery is most aptly conveyed by the notion of showing. To show something to someone is to cause it to be made present for that person, so that he or she can apprehend it directly, whether by looking, listening, or feeling.
