Why evolution explains more than we think WITH MARK VELLEND
Biology. 2025/12/12
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Evolution is often misunderstood as a process limited to biology and genes. In this in-depth conversation, evolutionary ecologist Mark Vellend challenges that narrow view and presents a powerful idea: evolution is a universal principle that governs all complex systems. In this episode of Reason with Science, we explore how evolution applies not only to living organisms, but also to languages, technologies, cultures, institutions, scientific theories, economics, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on his book Everything Evolves: Why Evolution Explains More Than We Think (From Proteins to Politics), Mark Vellend explains why evolutionary theory deserves recognition as a general science of change, alongside physics.
About the guest
Timestamps
00:00:00 Evolution Is Everywhere: From Nature to Ideas, Technology & Culture
00:01:05 What Makes Something an Evolving System?
00:02:05 Introducing Mark Bellant and His Research
00:03:17 Evolution as a Universal Process
00:05:13 Why Evolution Goes Beyond DNA and Genes
00:06:45 Language and Culture as Evolving Systems
00:07:45 Technology, Trial-and-Error, and Innovation
00:09:01 Darwinism, Neo-Darwinism, and the Modern Synthesis
00:11:01 How Biology Narrowed Our View of Evolution
00:13:01 The “Second Science”: Generalized Evolutionary Theory
00:20:49 Selection Beyond Biology: Culture, Tech, and Society
00:30:30 Randomness, Contingency, and Predictability
00:56:31 Tipping Points and Irreversible Change
01:04:39 Evolution in Ecology, Economics, and Society
01:07:55 Why Understanding Evolution Changes How We See the World