Evolution on Planet Earth | Simon Conway Morris | Purposeful Lab S1 Ep3

In this episode of Purposeful Lab, Dan Kuebler interviews Dr. Simon Conway Morris, an English paleontologist, astrobiologist, and evolutionary biologist. He is the emeritus professor of evolutionary paleobiology at the University of Cambridge as well as a fellow of Saint John’s College, and he recently published the book From Extraterrestrials to Animal Minds, in which he dismantles six myths of evolution.

In the interview, Dan and Dr. Conway Morris discuss a few of these myths, and how the truth about evolution could reveal purpose in the universe.

One myth that Dr. Simon Conway Morris confronts in his latest book is the idea that evolution happens randomly. In fact, there is an amazing amount of order at work behind the processes of evolution. Dan and Dr. Conway Morris look at convergent evolution and mass extinctions as two examples of events that may seem random, but when examined more closely they shed light on the intricately ordered science of evolution.

One of the most interesting subtopics of evolution is the evolution of humans. Humans are unique in many ways, including our capacity for sophisticated language and rational thought. Dr. Conway Morris describes the profound differences between humans, other animals, and AI, most notably our capacity for imagination and prospection about the future. Dan and Dr. Conway Morris also discuss whether the evolution of humans was inevitable, and ponder whether humans will become even more complex as we continue to evolve.

0:00 Intro Clip
0:29 Podcast Overview
7:25 Interview Starts
8:26  From Extraterrestrials to Animal Minds: Six Myths of Evolution
9:55 The Myth Of Random Evolution
12:27 Underlying Patterns In Evolution
15:16 Constraints In Evolution
16:42 Processes Written Into Evolution
19:46 The “Building Blocks” Of Life
22:21 Evolution of Evolvability
23:49 The Myth Of Extinctions  
29:19 The Mammalian Form
30:30 The Inevitability of Humans
34:10 Have We Hit A Limit On Human Evolution?
38:22 Cultural Evolution
39:02 The Difference Between Human And Animal Minds
44:42 Continuity Between Humans And Chimps
45:37 Is Human Consciousness Evolutionary?
51:41 How Can We Demonstrate If A Behavior Is Human-Like?
56:00 Underlying Purpose
59:08 Interview Concludes
59:54 Review/Final Thoughts
1:07:17 Office Hours
1:07:37 Chemical Linked To Parkinson's Disease
1:10:33 Modern Humans With Neanderthal DNA
1:12:35 Wrap Up


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