Decoding the Gurus Daniel Dennett: It's Evolution Baby
Two types of R&D
- Daniel Dennett compares evolutionary R&D to human intelligent design.
- He analyzes how complex designs arise in nature and culture.
Unintentional vs. Intentional Design
- Dennett uses termite colonies as an example of unintentional design in nature.
- He contrasts this with Gaudi's intentional design of Sagrada Familia.
Cultural Evolution and Memes
- Dennett supports Dawkins's meme theory, but acknowledges controversy.
- Memes are cultural units of selection, like genes but transmitted horizontally.
In this episode, we take a bit of a detour from current trends and examine a talk by the philosopher Daniel Dennett on evolution. Dennett rose to public prominence as one of the so-called four horsemen of the New Athiest movement but he always seemed slightly out of place with that cohort. Dennett's is most certainly a guru in the sense that he offers big picture 'what does it all mean' lectures linking together consciousness, intelligence, the emergence of complexity and evolution. But is there some substance there? Or does his appeal hinge on on intuitively-satisfying cosmic woo offered by less reputable figures.
On a positive note, he seemed to be more interested in academic and philosophical debates than the latest culture war outrage. As such he doesn't share that much with our usual targets... and that's ok! Sometimes it is good to look at figures who fall closer to the standard public intellectual or academic motif than that of the secular guru. At the very least it helps to calibrate our gurometer! So join us for a slightly indulgent episode on a figure that we both broadly enjoy despite the inevitable nit-picking.
An extended introduction section will also reveal our first DTG conspiracy hypothesis, the mating habits of orcs and dragons, and what Nazi AIs have in common with Robocop. And stick around at the end to hear about the future of education from the Petersons!
Links
- Dennett's talk on Information, Evolution, and Intelligent Design at the Royal Institute
- Business Insider article on that historical figure AI chatbot
- Mikhaila Peterson: Q&A to end the Year Episode. 174
- Thread from Lex's Subreddit removed by Moderators