#960 - Dr Jerry Coyne - The Spiciest Ideas Of Evolutionary Biology

A foundational work in the field of biology, On the Origin of Species revolutionized the way we look at life on Earth. Published in 1859 by the naturalist Charles Darwin, this work explains and argues for the theory of evolution—that organisms weren’t created separately in their current forms, but that each species evolved gradually from other species over the course of millions of years.

Our guide explains the key mechanisms behind evolution and explores how it shapes the world. We’ll take a closer look at the objections raised against Darwin's theory by his colleagues and at Darwin's rebuttals. We’ll also explore why animals in Australia are all different from those in Asia, what happens when you try to breed two closely related species, and why human embryos have gill slits. Finally, we’ll extend Darwin's theories with updates from contemporary biology.

Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and author, Dawkins argues that biology’s focus on organisms is misguided, and that life should instead be considered from the point of view of individual genes trying to perpetuate themselves through countless generations.

Though the book begins with the premise that biologists think too large (organisms instead of genes), it ends with the surprising idea that they think too small—that genes have much greater impacts on the world than simply creating bodies to inhabit. Dawkins offers compelling arguments for why we should think about biology as ranging from the microscopic to the wider world.

In The Sixth Extinction, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert argues that by drastically changing the shape of the earth and the composition of the atmosphere, humans have set in motion a sixth mass extinction that may one day be our undoing. The book revisits five previous mass extinction events spanning five hundred million years and compares them to the rapid, widespread extinctions underway today of a range of species including frogs, corals, birds, and rhinos.

These extinctions are a consequence of human-created global warming and ocean acidification, the destruction and fragmentation of forests, and our spread of invasive species around the world. What’s more, these actions will determine the course of life on the planet long after our species is gone.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the mainstream intellectual view of human nature was that humans are benevolent blank slates, with immaterial souls distinct from their physical bodies. But, according to cognitive psychologist and public intellectual Steven Pinker, this view is mistaken. In The Blank Slate, Pinker argues that contemporary science shows instead that humans have an innate tendency toward conflict, personalities shaped by their genes, and entirely physical minds.

In this guide, we’ll outline the three components of the mainstream view of human nature—empiricism, romanticism, and dualism—that Pinker critiques. We’ll then discuss his scientific arguments against these components, and we’ll look at three parts of his alternative scientific conception of human nature. Finally, we’ll discuss what his scientific view means for gender differences, politics, and how we understand children.

Why do so many marriages end in divorce? In Sex at Dawn, Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá (a husband-and-wife team) offer a surprising answer: For most of our evolutionary history, humans lived in societies that encouraged casual sex with multiple partners. According to the authors, humans evolved to be naturally promiscuous and only reluctantly embraced monogamy about 10,000 years ago when we stopped foraging for food and started farming.

In this guide, we’ll learn why everything we think we know about prehistoric human sexuality is wrong. We’ll draw on evidence from great apes (our closest evolutionary cousins), remote hunter-gatherer societies, and modern human biology to show that humans evolved to be promiscuous, not monogamous. Along the way, we’ll cover what other evolutionary psychologists and anthropologists have to say about Ryan and Jethá’s ideas.

Author Jordan Peterson argues that modern secularism and reliance on science has left a void in answers to important existential questions: What is the point of living? Why do bad things happen to good people? What am I supposed to do to make myself happier? 12 Rules for Life addresses these questions and gives a set of life principles to live by. Learn why you should stop telling lies to others and yourself, why you should stop doing things you know are bad for you, and how to pursue what is truly meaningful for you.

In The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray argues that Western society is consumed by an ideology that’s obsessed with social justice and identity politics. This ideology insists that certain groups (notably women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals) endure widespread prejudice and oppression, and that they should therefore receive sensitivity, accommodations, and apologetic behavior from the social majority. Murray believes this ideology is hard to challenge without suffering public ridicule and shaming.

Ultimately, Murray argues that we need to combat this ideology, restore constructive opportunities for civic disagreement, and depoliticize our personal identities. Otherwise, our society could become even more fragmented and chaotic, and conceivably violent.

In this guide, we’ll examine the development of this harmful ideology, its effects, and its internal contradictions. We’ll also explore ways to detoxify society and reduce the influence of this ideology. In our commentary, we’ll compare Murray’s ideas to those in other books that discuss wokeism, intersectionality, and identity politics, such as The Coddling of the American Mind and American Marxism.

What is a “self”? Should we look for our selves in our innermost feelings or in our social contexts and traditions? In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl Trueman argues that cultural developments of the past three centuries have transformed our conception of selfhood—from a self rooted in religion, tradition, and community to one rooted in individualism, emotion, and sexuality. A professor of biblical studies and ecclesiastical history, Trueman asserts that this change has been disastrous for Western culture because it undermines traditional Christian understandings of marriage, gender, and authority while stigmatizing Christian beliefs as bigoted and irrational.

Our guide will explore Trueman's historical analysis, from the philosophy of the Enlightenment to the rise of the LGBTQ+ alliance and the student activism of the left. You'll read about 19th-century English poetry, the rise of internet pornography, and Sigmund Freud's take on childhood sexuality. Our commentary also dives into the historical context of these developments while exploring multiple perspectives on the culture wars of today.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the mainstream intellectual view of human nature was that humans are benevolent blank slates, with immaterial souls distinct from their physical bodies. But, according to cognitive psychologist and public intellectual Steven Pinker, this view is mistaken. In The Blank Slate, Pinker argues that contemporary science shows instead that humans have an innate tendency toward conflict, personalities shaped by their genes, and entirely physical minds.

In this guide, we’ll outline the three components of the mainstream view of human nature—empiricism, romanticism, and dualism—that Pinker critiques. We’ll then discuss his scientific arguments against these components, and we’ll look at three parts of his alternative scientific conception of human nature. Finally, we’ll discuss what his scientific view means for gender differences, politics, and how we understand children.