When will philosophy departments catch up and embrace evolutionary biological science?
Random musing on the topic and achieving milestones. In the spirit of "hope as a survival strategy in hopeless times" - the following started as a letter to a specific person. I've decided to expand and turn it into a sort of message in a bottle, simply because I felt a need to put it down. Hope springs eternal and there's the satisfaction in sharing.
Okay so, what the hell, after a great many years of effort, questioning, searching, gathering, learning, I'm feeling good that my line up of experts and lessons is getting pretty complete, for the story I've been striving to visualize. From the grand deep time Evolutionary overview, down to the mitochondria and Kerb's cycle coursing through our bodies, and even the mineral evolution that needed to occur, before biology had the building blocks to go wild.
I was always a dreamer, watching, and asking why, being raised a science enthusiast, it was easy enough to keep up on the news, and learn profound lessons along the way. Followed my curiosity and learned within a skilled-labor workingman's life.
I think it was David Attenborough who really focused me with his 1979 tour de force, Life on Earth: A Natural History, step by step retelling of biological evolution, using real life examples, and so on. In the past couple decades with more time on my hands, I've been amazed and informed by the likes of Hazen, Lane, Sloan-Wilson, Solms, Damasio, Sapolski, Levin, Turin bringing physics (vibrations rather than chemistry) into sense of smell, and now my belated discovery of Arthur Reber with his model of the Cellular Basis of Consciousness (CBC), among many others whom I can't recall off the top of my head right now.
Bottom up, evolution and science appreciating. All I know comes from them, digested and reprocessed through my own experiences and perceptions.
Side note, I was saddened to find out that Arthur Reber passed away two months ago, though I was consoled learning about highlights in his amazing 85 years of living.
Hello, I only get to do my own philosophizing homework in fits and starts—the past couple days I've been alone, ignored as many chores as possible, and have gone through quite the journey. I hope you don’t mind my exuberance in sharing with you.
There is no specific ask, beyond asking you to consider the following. Guess I simply feel the need to share and hope you are receptive.
It started with Nick Lane's recent book “Transformer” (all about the Krebs cycle, which turns out to be a key to achieving a deep coherence view of biology.). Spellbinding listen (chores still need doing) - especially the closing chapter, and another home run. Ordered the book, because this one is a keeper and needs a close reading. That fired me up and since I’m home alone, I was on a roll. Next, catching up on Michael Levin interviews, this time embodied cognition and such, once again, the guy is always spellbinding. Though still waiting for an interviewer to do him justice.
By and by, thanks to a tip from a dude at Medium.com, I landed in front of a 2018 talk by Arthur Reber, "A Novel Theory of the Origin of Mind: Conversations With a Caterpillar & a Bacterium.” Reber’s talk was literally-figuratively like the Hallelujah chorus breaking through the clouds - especially when he took on and dismantled the Hard Problem, head on. And I’m wondering, where has he been hiding? Once again reminded of my narrow bandwidth - that's why I keep hoping to find likeminded, simply for a little rational constructive dialogue and cross fertilization.
Heck that's one of the reasons I wanted to interact with the club, actual philosophers and students, for feedback, constructive pushback. Just looking for solid discussion. Perhaps even some tips - such as, read this paper and that author, now buzz off already.
Reber's talk would have saved me years worth of effort. Although having worked it out logically, (not scientifically!)—on my own steam, is satisfying in the face of the general dismissiveness I’ve gotten used to.
For better or worse, I’m a born & bred philosopher type, sure clay-feet, self-taught, skilled labor working class, sorry for not being a student. Enthusiast, rather than scholar. It's not that I think I have any grand profound revelation, merely that I want to discuss a clear Earth Centric, biological-evolution respecting, ground up understanding of ourselves and our place on this planet. That I believe is worth pursuing and developing and sharing. Get some push back, figure out how to improve what I’m trying to express, etc..
Why? To help fellow regular mortals - who don't have time for philosophy’s endless spirals of doubts upon doubts - People who don't want god, but feeling a little lost - folks who think they respect “science” yet it doesn't mean anything personal to them. In my experience, too many sound like "Evolution" is no more than a label for a notion.
Rather than an invigorating reality coursing through one's body.
Then we wonder why so many feel lost in an increasingly hostile world. Candles in the wind.
A modern story/philosophy is needed, we have all the biological clues for telling an amazing story of our Earth and our selves. Including the Hard Problem which is an example of, silly questions only offering silly answers. It reeks of theology, and doesn't relate at all to the wet and gushy biological reality we are created out of.
Our consciousness comes from within us, as do our gods, time to take responsibility for one's self.
Not that any of this will save anything, but being solid in one's self-understanding, that’s precious for anyone, I believe.
Hope is a survival strategy in hopeless times, and for a few, this science based message could make all the difference in how one deals with the self and world one is trapped in. I speak from personal experience. Of course, each of us are the result of our circumstance mixed with how we deal with them. Improvement requires constructive feedback.
Where We Get Serious: The Cellular Basis of Consciousness.
Reber, Arthur (2018) Chapter IV of Reber (2019)
A novel theory of the origin of mind: Conversations with a caterpillar and a bacterium. Oxford University Press.
Arthur Reber: A Novel Theory of the Origin of Mind...Institut des sciences cognitives - UQAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQy92VjtwZ8
It puts another important block of scientific rigorous knowledge behind the topic I keep wanting to discuss with some thoughtful individuals, simply because it's something that needs to be discussed.
In a constructive down to earth philosophical manner, but I keep getting shut down. I'll keep knocking, . . . what’s it been? Five years? Now I have Reber’s talk in hand, not to mention the rest of the team. They explain the details of the story more convincingly than I could ever dream.
On top of the physical science, Reber does a superb job of summarizing David Chalmers' so-called Hard Problem, then reframing it into a reality based pursuit for achievable, rational understanding. That could make for an interesting iconoclastic discussion.
Closing thought:
Enough mind over matter?
What about the cutting edge of evolutionary biological science?
When will philosophy departments catch up and embrace it?
Respectfully,
Peter Miesler
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