Stephen Jay Gould interview (1996)

Evolutionary Biologist Stephen Jay Gould on his book, "Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin."
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[@ManufacturingIntellect]

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[@whitepanties2751]

My respect for the late Stephen Jay Gould as a scientist and writer does not extend to his hair.

[@greenbeans6253]

i respect his hair (i also envy it)

[@Primordial_Synapse]

The controversy surrounding Gould stemmed from his groundbreaking views on the evolutionary process. By challenging the prevailing gradualist orthodoxy, Gould introduced the concept of punctuated equilibrium, suggesting that organisms underwent rapid and dramatic changes at discrete inflection points rather than only through gradual, continuous evolution. This theory underscored the importance of dialectics in evolutionary theory, emphasizing the dynamic and non-linear nature of biological change. Gould's perspective on evolution not only sparked debate within the scientific community but also set him at odds with many of his colleagues. Alongside fellow biologist Richard Lewontin, he actively worked to counter what they perceived as reactionary tendencies emerging in the field of biology. They opposed the deterministic view that evolution follows a linear and predetermined path, emphasizing instead the inherent complexity, variability, and unpredictability of biological processes. They also took a critical stance against the reductionist approach that seeks to explain complex biological phenomena solely in terms of individual genes or molecules, advocating for a more holistic and interdisciplinary perspective that considers the interactions between different levels of biological organization such as genes, organisms, and ecosystems. Finally, they were outspoken critics of social and political biases that crept into biological research, particularly when it came to the use of biological determinism to justify discriminatory practices or inequalities, highlighting the dangers of conflating biology with societal values.

[@avasdv]

How does punctuated equilibrium happen? What is its engine? I also heard that gould was biased in the other direction. He was strongly anti genetic and therefore not truly holistic and he was also political himself, with political bias. That's just what I heard I do not know anything for sure. Well that's why I came here actually is to see the guy and get to know him

[@Zorkmid123]

Nice to listen to Gould, who actually knew what he was talking about. And was right when he said evolution doesn’t progress they way people assume it does.

[@particleman5893]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZOufpJ4g9WtrcU

[@garycastillo770]

@@particleman5893 Of course an another defense of eugentics.

[@particleman5893]

@@garycastillo770 Oh yes yes yes of course. You see, we need to give favoritism to people who just breed without thinking about the consequences. That isn't eugenics. But, if we were to just let natural selection take its course and give no government favoritism to anbody, THAT'S eugenics. How stupid of me.

[@peaceseeker9927]

@@particleman5893 - With your comment, it's fair to say that you are a living example of Gould's conclusions about evolution and "progress".

[@particleman5893]

@@peaceseeker9927 Don't care. Gould was a fraud.

[@peaceseeker9927]

I wish I had known about Gould sooner. I like his point comparing bacteria to human's and their greater intelligence. With bacteria being around for many millions of years and in their variety able to survive extreme conditions. Also, we could not exist without bacteria so we shouldn't be thinking we are superior to them. We should instead appreciate the strengths AND LIMITATIONS we each have and resist ranking ourselves over other life forms, or ranking humans over each other.

[@joaopedrosantospereira5156]

I can't believe that have just 5.300 views, an amazing biologist, so so renegade

[@artigraphmultimedia1489]

Speaks volumes about our times doesn't it? Science. Facts. Replaced by .... the opposite of that.

[@dialecticalveganegoist1721]

Underappreciated Scientist

[@nescius2]

he was not underappreciated compared to most other scientists.. and that's the sad part.

[@syluno]

genuinely

[@lizgoldstein4256]

How is he underappreciated?

[@bak1snus]

@@lizgoldstein4256 Probably just means that - because most people interested in science or philosophy today don't know him very well.

[@lizgoldstein4256]

@@bak1snus I see - I guess the assumption was if I read him and think he’s brilliant a lot of other people will too… but what you say makes sense

[@joanbautista]

Damn, What a good interview, Loved it

[@jacobdockter3436]

i know rose did some terrible things or at least those are the reports, but its still sad to see his show gone. he was one of the best intereviewers by far - it seems like only one side has to pay for sexual harassment while one side elect them to be president, the people on the other side, the truth, gets everything taken from them

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

I'm not a scientist so take this with a huge grain of salt. But I think modern methods are revealing that both positions are not quite right. Gradualism doesn't work for various reasons. Punctuated equilibrium fits better but it doesn't really explain everything. Organisms spread and diversify, then spread and diversify. So what you end up with is what seems like jumps in the fossil record. But really they're evolving side by side with other similar organisms and even the progenitors of whatever species we're talking about. They all exist at the same time and spread and diversify. And that's what we see currently. Take foxes. You've got big tall ones, little tiny ones, desert foxes, rainforest foxes, arctic foxes etc. And all this diversity might have come about in the last few million years. Any scientists out there? Is this a fair assessment?

[@Zelink108]

Alleged millions.

[@bradsillasen1972]

As a lay student of evolution I'd say that it is a fair assessment. Evolution is a very, very messy process. There is no goal and the only rule is that if it works it lives and reproduces. And by that life evolves myriad solutions to an infinite and dynamic set of problems.

[@LimeyLassen]

You're right on the money. To extend your example, if all the foxes except for fennec foxes went extinct, then future scientists would observe a dramatic jump in the fossil record, from the average fox being large to the average fox being tiny with oversized ears.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@LimeyLassen That's a good point. Extinction events are an important part of the picture too. They'll also free up niches which leads to some other kind of thing filling that niche. So we get reptiles that are basically dolphins and cattle everything else. Or marsupials in Australia filling the same rolls placental mammals do elsewhere. Maybe not due to extinction events but y'know. It's what we see.

[@GY1025960]

Evolution leads to both complexity and variation - why pitching one aspect against the other?

[@matthewthomasclement2730]

02:54

[@nirv]

Why do you have a patreon link? You didn't record this video. This isn't your production

[@whitb62]

But they found and put this video up for free. How else would anyone see it? It’s not available anywhere, even for purchase

[@nirv]

@@whitb62 The spirit of the internet is the free dissemination of information. Hi. Stop BEGGING for money. My generation made Napster. Napster, as you may know, made it easy for anyone to share entire albums. What did your generation do for the internet? PATREON. Now you think you deserve money for uploading stupid videos. Thanks a lot.

[@whitb62]

@@nirv First off, calm down lol. Did you have to pay him to see the content? Did he force you to pay him? No. It’s a link in the comments giving you the option. Stop complaining about everything.

[@nirv]

@@whitb62 I made a video about this crap. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXyzlJudj8qUZ9U If you continue to give me lip, I will get you in voice chat and absolutely obliterate you. Your generation needs to stop begging for money.

[@whitb62]

@@nirv First off I'm 32 so it's not my generation. Secondly, that is the single cringiest video I have ever seen LOL. You made a video and posted it over literally nothing. Most the comments agree with that assessment it looks like. Life is short, take a deep breath and focus on things that actually matter.

[@jessethomas9676]

Is this the proven liar?

[@cpg-fx7ew]

no