In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Haig about evolution, causes, and the meaning of life. They discuss how bits of matter can help us understand purpose and value. They talk about the four causes of Aristotle, adaptation, group selection vs. cooperation, and the three types of genes. They discuss replicators and vehicles, types and tokens, memes, and the extended phenotype. They mention the gene selection network, instinct, using biology for understanding meaning, various interpretations, and many other topics.
David Haig is the George Putnam Professor of biology at Harvard University. He has multiple degrees in biology including his PhD in biology from MacQuarie University. He was a Royal Society fellow at St. John's College at Oxford University. He is an independent researcher, professor, and author of numerous books. His most recent, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life, can be found here. You can also find much of his research at his website.
#101 - From Darwin to Derrida: A Dialogue with David Haig