Recent Research
Dan McShea, Departments of Biology and Philosophy, Duke University
1) Teleology (purpose, goal directedness): A common physical architecture underlies all goal-directed systems, from acorns turning into oak trees to homing torpedoes to human wants and purposes. All are hierarchically structured, consisting a small goal-directed entity nested within a larger "field." The theory is called "field theory," and the argument is that fields are the source of guidance for all goal-directed entities. For the homing torpedo, the directed entity is the torpedo itself, and the directing field is the sound field emanating from a target ship. The application of field theory to human wants is speculative. If the theory is right, the directed entities are thoughts and behaviors, and the larger fields are wants, preferences, and cares, in other words, motivations. (This view is consistent with David Hume's centuries-old argument that it is not reason that powers and directs purposeful behavior, but our wants, or what he calls the calm passions.) The theory was first offered in my 2012 paper (see publications) and has been developed in recent years with my collaborator, Gunnar Babcock (Cornell).
2) Evolution of Complexity: In a 2010 book with Robert Brandon, Biology's First Law, we argue that the complexity of organisms will tend to increase spontaneously in the absence of natural selection and other forces. In evolution, complexity is easy. (And simplicity is hard.) The same goes for diversity, which we argue is just complexity at a scale above the organism. Our second book, The Missing Two Thirds of Evolutionary Theory, in 2020, further develops the theory, offering a quantitative formulation.
Link to papers & books
Link to essays & stories (“We Could Use Some Dull Moments & Other Stories”)
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Complexity & Teleology
Teleology How shall we understand goal directedness, or what is also called teleology? How is a bacterium able to find and move consistently toward its food? How is a cell able to migrate to a target location in a developing … Continue reading
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Wisdom for the day
When purpose falls into water, it becomes a fish. When it falls into humanity, it becomes motivation, meaning, and morality. Freedom is the absence of external constraint. Absence of internal constraint is not freedom. It’s madness. The world is mostly … Continue reading
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