Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff Part One: Mutual Aid and Evolution: Peter Kropotkin and the Battle for Science
Sep 29, 2025
Katie Goldin, a journalist and host of Creature Feature, dives into the fascinating world of Peter Kropotkin, the anarchist prince who championed the role of cooperation in evolution. They discuss how mutual aid manifests in nature, like in the sharing behavior of vampire bats. The conversation contrasts Darwin's theories of competition with Kropotkin's insights on the importance of collaboration. Katie also touches on how geological concepts influenced evolutionary thought and the misuse of science in social Darwinism, illuminating the intersection of science and social justice.
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Mutual Aid Shapes Evolution
- Kropotkin argued cooperation (mutual aid) is a major evolutionary force alongside competition.
- Modern science increasingly supports mutual aid as an important factor in animal evolution.
Geology Laid Groundwork For Evolution
- Geological ideas about slow change (uniformitarianism) reframed how scientists saw biological change over time.
- Darwin and others drew on geology to argue species also transform gradually rather than by single catastrophes.
Lyell's Gradualism Influenced Darwin
- Charles Lyell's uniformitarianism promoted gradualism and influenced Darwin's thinking deeply.
- This shifted science away from sudden catastrophes toward slow processes shaping life and Earth.
