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#203 – Peter Godfrey-Smith on interfering with wild nature, accepting death, and the origin of complex civilisation

80,000 Hours Podcast

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Contingency and Complexity in Evolution

This chapter examines the role of historical events, such as the great oxygenation of the atmosphere, in shaping the evolution of complex life on Earth. It contrasts the ideas of Stephen Jay Gould and Conway Morris regarding the unpredictability of evolutionary paths and the implications of oxygenic photosynthesis on the potential for diverse life forms.

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