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Contingency and Convergence: Toward a Cosmic Biology of Body and Mind
Can we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere?
In this book, Russell Powell investigates whether we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere. Weaving together disparate philosophical and empirical threads, Powell offers the first detailed analysis of the interplay between contingency and convergence in macroevolution, as it relates to both complex life in general and cognitively complex life in particular. If the evolution of mind is not a historical accident, the product of convergence rather than contingency, then, Powell asks, is mind likely to be an evolutionarily important feature of any living world?
Stephen Jay Gould argued for the primacy of contingency in evolution. Gould's “radical contingency thesis” (RCT) has been challenged, but critics have largely failed to engage with its core claims and theoretical commitments. Powell fills this gap. He first examines convergent regularities at both temporal and phylogenetic depths, finding evidence that both vindicates and rebuffs Gould's argument for contingency. Powell follows this partial defense of the RCT with a substantive critique. Among the evolutionary outcomes that might defy the RCT, he argues, cognition is particularly important—not only for human-specific issues of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness but also for the large-scale ecological organization of macroscopic living worlds. Turning his attention to complex cognitive life, Powell considers what patterns of cognitive convergence tell us about the nature of mind, its evolution, and its place in the universe. If complex bodies are common in the universe, might complex minds be common as well?
In this book, Russell Powell investigates whether we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere. Weaving together disparate philosophical and empirical threads, Powell offers the first detailed analysis of the interplay between contingency and convergence in macroevolution, as it relates to both complex life in general and cognitively complex life in particular. If the evolution of mind is not a historical accident, the product of convergence rather than contingency, then, Powell asks, is mind likely to be an evolutionarily important feature of any living world?
Stephen Jay Gould argued for the primacy of contingency in evolution. Gould's “radical contingency thesis” (RCT) has been challenged, but critics have largely failed to engage with its core claims and theoretical commitments. Powell fills this gap. He first examines convergent regularities at both temporal and phylogenetic depths, finding evidence that both vindicates and rebuffs Gould's argument for contingency. Powell follows this partial defense of the RCT with a substantive critique. Among the evolutionary outcomes that might defy the RCT, he argues, cognition is particularly important—not only for human-specific issues of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness but also for the large-scale ecological organization of macroscopic living worlds. Turning his attention to complex cognitive life, Powell considers what patterns of cognitive convergence tell us about the nature of mind, its evolution, and its place in the universe. If complex bodies are common in the universe, might complex minds be common as well?
- GenresBiology
328 pages, Hardcover
Published February 25, 2020
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97 people want to read
About the author
Russell Powell
7 books3 followersRussell Powell is Professor of Law and Associate Provost for Global Engagement at Seattle University, USA. He has previously worked as a diplomat and holds degrees in Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, and Law. He has published widely on law, religion and secularism, and Islamic jurisprudence.
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November 28, 2020Here's a nice, detailed review from the The Inquisitive Biologist:
https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2020...
Excerpt:
"Are evolutionary changes happy accidents, i.e. contingencies? Or is there a law-like repeatability underneath, explaining why some traits evolve time and again, i.e. convergence? Is it even a matter of either-or? And what lessons does this hold for life elsewhere in the universe? ...
... Since we cannot rewind the tape of life, the next best thing would be to see how life evolved elsewhere. Just some of the interesting topics considered are the anomaly of life’s single origin, the timing of the emergence of intelligent, multicellular life compared to the lifespan of our Sun, and the problem of the observer selection effect. ...
... In my opinion, the first half of this book is obligatory reading for evolutionary biologists. The text will require your close attention, but it is engagingly written and incredibly rewarding. Do not be intimidated by the table of contents, but do expect to have to look up some words: I doubt that many outside of philosophy circles regularly speak of exegetical shortcomings or the “nomological vacuum of biology”. "
Huh. I was put off on learning that the author is a philosopher. But he does have a M.S. in Biology from Duke, and is a lawyer to boot! So. Nomological vacuums aside, I'll see if I can persuade our library to buy a copy. Way too expensive for me to take a flyer on it!
https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2020...
Excerpt:
"Are evolutionary changes happy accidents, i.e. contingencies? Or is there a law-like repeatability underneath, explaining why some traits evolve time and again, i.e. convergence? Is it even a matter of either-or? And what lessons does this hold for life elsewhere in the universe? ...
... Since we cannot rewind the tape of life, the next best thing would be to see how life evolved elsewhere. Just some of the interesting topics considered are the anomaly of life’s single origin, the timing of the emergence of intelligent, multicellular life compared to the lifespan of our Sun, and the problem of the observer selection effect. ...
... In my opinion, the first half of this book is obligatory reading for evolutionary biologists. The text will require your close attention, but it is engagingly written and incredibly rewarding. Do not be intimidated by the table of contents, but do expect to have to look up some words: I doubt that many outside of philosophy circles regularly speak of exegetical shortcomings or the “nomological vacuum of biology”. "
Huh. I was put off on learning that the author is a philosopher. But he does have a M.S. in Biology from Duke, and is a lawyer to boot! So. Nomological vacuums aside, I'll see if I can persuade our library to buy a copy. Way too expensive for me to take a flyer on it!
April 11, 2021
(...)
The first part starts with a chapter on the need for biotheoretical input in matters of cosmic astrobiology because of observer selection biases, and afterwards examines Gouldian concepts of convergent & contingent evolution in the broad sense, focusing on the evolution of bodies. Powell does what everybody that takes science seriously should do: he examines & tries to define the meaning of the concepts – something that is sadly too easily glossed over time and time again. As such this first half is also part critical reading of Stephen Jay Gould and other evolutionary theorists.
The second part zooms in on minds, and starts with an extremely interesting investigation of sensory modalities in various animals, as sensing your surroundings is crucial to develop a mind. It continues with a discussion of how animals perceive their surroundings and themselves in those surroundings, and what that means for the possible emergence of minds. The last two chapters then look at possible evidence on how minds – other than the minds in the brains of terrestrial vertebrates – could emerge from neuroanatomy and the convergent evolution of bilateral brains and other types of neural clusters, and at evidence from behavior – from cephalods and arthropods, as I referred to above.
The stunning coda makes the jump from minds to full fledged human-like culture, and offers a few cents on the Fermi paradox – a paradox well-known to the scifi readers of this blog.
Although Powell dares to make numerous pretty definitive claims, he also shows a lot of humility and restraint: “when all is said and done, most of the landscape will remain uncharted, and the mystery of mind will remain.”
(...)
I will leave you with some of the nuggets I’ve learned while reading Contingency and Convergence : Toward a Cosmic Biology of Body and Mind. The usual caveats apply: these nuggets are not a summary at all, and are not intended as a representative sample of the actual content of the book. They are just here as a reminder for myself, and maybe some of them will delight you too. They might, however, show a wee bit of the rich, broad scope of Powell’s book – that is, if you factor in this reader’s selection bias.
(...)
Full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
The first part starts with a chapter on the need for biotheoretical input in matters of cosmic astrobiology because of observer selection biases, and afterwards examines Gouldian concepts of convergent & contingent evolution in the broad sense, focusing on the evolution of bodies. Powell does what everybody that takes science seriously should do: he examines & tries to define the meaning of the concepts – something that is sadly too easily glossed over time and time again. As such this first half is also part critical reading of Stephen Jay Gould and other evolutionary theorists.
The second part zooms in on minds, and starts with an extremely interesting investigation of sensory modalities in various animals, as sensing your surroundings is crucial to develop a mind. It continues with a discussion of how animals perceive their surroundings and themselves in those surroundings, and what that means for the possible emergence of minds. The last two chapters then look at possible evidence on how minds – other than the minds in the brains of terrestrial vertebrates – could emerge from neuroanatomy and the convergent evolution of bilateral brains and other types of neural clusters, and at evidence from behavior – from cephalods and arthropods, as I referred to above.
The stunning coda makes the jump from minds to full fledged human-like culture, and offers a few cents on the Fermi paradox – a paradox well-known to the scifi readers of this blog.
Although Powell dares to make numerous pretty definitive claims, he also shows a lot of humility and restraint: “when all is said and done, most of the landscape will remain uncharted, and the mystery of mind will remain.”
(...)
I will leave you with some of the nuggets I’ve learned while reading Contingency and Convergence : Toward a Cosmic Biology of Body and Mind. The usual caveats apply: these nuggets are not a summary at all, and are not intended as a representative sample of the actual content of the book. They are just here as a reminder for myself, and maybe some of them will delight you too. They might, however, show a wee bit of the rich, broad scope of Powell’s book – that is, if you factor in this reader’s selection bias.
(...)
Full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It
November 20, 2020
A must-read for evolutionary biologists, Contingency and Convergence is a rigorous and intellectually incredibly rewarding analysis of these two schools of thought. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2020...
March 11, 2020
I was drawn to this book from the first advertisement from MIT Press. I was not disappointed. Though a layman in the biological sciences, I found the book did not assume vast knowledge of the sciences, nor for that matter the philosophical arguments it draws upon. What it does is tell the story of the development of cognition or more accurately the multiple developments of cognition in the evolution of life on Earth. The author examines the contingent and convergent theories within evolutionary science and establishes a synthesis to project this argument on the question of cognitive evolution on a cosmic scale; and on the idea of "universal" laws in the science of biology. This book was a fascinating read, and while not hyperbolic in its assertions nevertheless inspired many a flight of fancy in this reader's mind. I found this book to be an engrossing and exciting read.
April 2, 2022
Convergence, if it proves to be a potent force in evolution, could provide a cosmic connectedness - for it is a story about the immense chasms that life will cross to reach the same place.
Radical contingency, should it prevail, would compel us to confront the infinite isolation of a desolate universe, drawing us closer to the only cosmic companions we will ever have: the meaningful minds with whom we share this pale blue dot.
Radical contingency, should it prevail, would compel us to confront the infinite isolation of a desolate universe, drawing us closer to the only cosmic companions we will ever have: the meaningful minds with whom we share this pale blue dot.
March 8, 2021
This book pits Stephen Jay Gould's R.C.T. (Radical Contingency Thesis- the "Contingency" in the title) against the R.R.T. (Robust Replicability Thesis- the "Convergence" in the title), trying to determine which features of evolution on Earth are likely to be paralleled on other planets (or would recur in more or less deep "reruns" of our own evolutionary history) and which are just entrenched flukes.
This is a very well researched, tightly argued book which is also relevant to the Design Argument in natural theology, though the author himself does not seem to have much interest in such questions.
This is a very well researched, tightly argued book which is also relevant to the Design Argument in natural theology, though the author himself does not seem to have much interest in such questions.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews