Darwin

Some philosophers have tried to base morality on human nature, but what does biology say about that?

Evolution exists and exerts itself in a different way than gravity does… because natural selection is an “algorithmic force.” 

We are what we are because of genes; we are who we are because of memes. Philosopher Daniel Dennett muses on an idea put forward by Richard Dawkins in 1976.

The causes of hit products are themselves uncausable. ‘Hit Makers’ by Derek Thompson explains why we know how to make songs, but not hits.  

The human mind is like a Turing machine, says Daniel Dennett. It’s made up of unthinking cogs – but when combined in the right order, their motion gives rise to consciousness.

Science’s signature moves share something with good poetry. Good metaphor-making can make geniuses of both kinds. But bad metaphors can mislead whole fields.