Ryan Gregory gave a talk on A Gouldian view of the genome and he has posted the video of his presentation (see below). I urge you to watch the whole thing but, if you only have a few minutes, then watch the beginning where Ryan describes the important lessons that Gould taught us.
- Narrative: The details of "pure history" are important.
- Origins: The reasons a trait first evolved and why it still exists may be different.
- Exaptation: Features can become co-opted to serve new functions.
- Development: The connections between genotype and phenotype are important
- Pluralism: Small genetic changes accumulating slowly over time due to natural selection is not all there is.
- Contingency: Unique events can have a large influence in the long run, even if they seem minor initially.
- Hierarchy: Evolutionary processes can occur at multiple levels.
- Scholarship: Know the history of one's field.
I'm sure Gould would have enjoyed learning more about genomes. Here's what he wrote in The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (p. 22). You'd be hard pressed to find any other prominent evolutionary biologist who writes so frankly about his strengths and limitations.
But I recognize that every strength comes paired with weaknesses. In my case, a paleontological focus leads me into relative ignorance for an equally important locus of reform in the structure of Darwinism—increasing knowledge of the nature of genomes and the mechanics of development. (I try to cover the outlines of important theoretical critiques from the "opposite" realm of the smallest, but the relative weightings in my text reflect my own varying competencies far more than the merts of the case. For example, although I do discuss, and perhaps even adequately outline, the importance of Kimura and King's neutralist theory in questioning previous assumptions of adaptationist hegemony, I surely do not give an appropriate volume of attention to this enormously important subject.)