How Evolution Evolves “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.” – Pseudo-Darwin When Charles Darwin was conducting his researches during the Beagle voyage and upon returning home and settling in the picturesque village of Downe, England south of London, the … More On the Destiny of Species
I arrive at the airport in Guayaquil about two hours before departure, hoping that gives me enough time to get to the gate. Before checking in with the airline, first I have to wait at another counter to obtain a Transit Locater Card, and although I preregistered online, the line is slow. They seem dubious … More 1 June 2021: Arrival in Galápagos
Human beings are wired to be fearful. Let’s talk about the evidence for optimism. We’ve been programmed by millions of years of evolution to pay more attention to potential and perceived threats than to actual, real benefits. As a result, many people live with and suffer from unnecessary fear and anxiety. As the evolutionary science … More Apocaholics Anonymous
What is writing, at root? From Aristotle’s first principles to von Neumann’s architecture to the two basic operations of consciousness—differentiation and integration—and what they mean for writing well. … More First Principles of Effective Writing
All complex adaptive systems (which encompasses basically everything) evolve from the bottom up, then spiral between each higher level of order that emerges, so “top down or bottom up?” is always a false dichotomy. … More The Spiral Theory of Integration
An achingly beautiful novel about a nineteenth-century woman who discovers the process of evolution by natural selection independently of Darwin and Wallace—the greatest portrayal of the process of discovery I have encountered, and now one of my all time favorite novels. … More Book Review: The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert
Originally posted a year into Trump’s first term in office; everything I said about him then, and about the people who put him there, is even more true today. … More On Donald Trump
The best way to review “Civil Disobedience” is to let Thoreau speak for himself: “There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.” A great essay, inconsistent on what government is for, with four more essays of mixed value. … More Book Review: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays, by Henry David Thoreau
Four Lovecraft tales—“The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Hound,” “The Dunwich Horror,” and “Dagon”—surprisingly well written as long as you don’t take them too seriously, with his influence on subsequent horror from King and Koontz to The X-Files everywhere in evidence. … More Book Review: The Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories, by H. P. Lovecraft
Mayr’s final book, summing up three-quarters of a century of thought on how biology differs from the physical sciences and other issues in the philosophy of science from one of the architects of the Evolutionary Synthesis. … More Book Review: What Makes Biology Unique? by Ernst Mayr
