Life's Solutions

"There was no inevitability to the evolution of Homo sapiens"

Java Man (Swisher et al., 2000, p. 234)

Are we the inevitable product of evolution? Though many anthropologists say no Cambridge paleontologist Simon Conway Morris (S C-M) says yes! Life's Solutions is a wide ranging, scientifically grounded, innovative and at times idiosyncratic exploration of the state of play in modern biology and its implications for evolutionary theory. The main theme is that convergence (the repeated iteration of morphological design-such as wings in insects, pterosaurs, bats and birds) is far more ubiquitous and ingrained in living systems than most biologists allow. Far from being a "curiosity" it is almost the very weft and weave of life itself. The vital process is directed down a few pathways to a few constrained if not inevitable solutions, thus leaving vacant 99.9% of theoretic possibilities in what S C-M calls "biological hyperspace." This view is in stark contrast to the thesis of the late Stephen J. Gould (Cambridge MA) that evolution is a contingent process, that we got where we got today by random chance and if the tape of life were replayed (which is presumably impossible) it would all turn out quite differently. (I venture that Gould's error was to characterise life as a single, linear track, whereas convergence is, by definition, an ongoing and simultaneous multi-track, reiteration or replaying of organic refrains). All this ultimately leads towards ruminations about anthropic principles, directedness, teleology and even intelligent design. For those not up on the doings of the paleontological-evolutionary biology fraternity this Cambridge debate (U.K v. MA) has been ongoing since the publication of S C-M's first book Crucible of Creation (Oxford, 1998), and has many general philosophical antecedents. Readers may find Life's Solutions both biologically fascinating and overwhelming. As if trying to impress his biological colleagues and drive home his points about ubiquitous "rampant" convergence S C-M inundates us with 300 pages of detailed examples accompanied by 110 pages of rampant notes (1,579 = more than 5 per page, to be precise). While he succeeds in impressing readers with the breadth and depth of his scientific foundation, there is a little too much pretentious vocabulary and a tendency to repeat the refrain "here's what we claim to know- right? – no nothing could be further from the truth". Likewise he labels many new discoveries and interpretations as unsurprising –implying he knew the facts "already." Nonetheless, as a paleontologist, I believe the book makes an excellent case for the importance of convergence and is innovative for just the reasons mentioned: i.e., the considerable attention paid to detailed scientific evidence. Where S C-M falls short is in not showing that repeated convergence manifests as recognisable patterns of biological organisation, currently understood only through the neglected Goethean paradigm (e.g., Schad, 1977; Lockley 1999). Those interested in the broader philosophical implications for evolutionary theory such as anthropic principles or teleological direction and meaning will only be tantalised by the opening chapters, and will have to wait until the final brief chapter "Towards a theology of evolution" to savor S C-M's opinions on such matters as ultra Darwinism and genetic fundamentalism. His conclusions here are quite familiar to SMN readers (e.g., Mary Midgley and others) who have taken reductionism and scientific magisteria to task. Dare I say we knew that "already!" While being forthright S C-M carefully chooses safe sources of criticism and opinion so as to maintain some sort of scholarly and scientific high ground and not ruffle orthodox feathers among hard core materialist colleagues. Curiously, he himself is heavily "into" reviewing molecular biology and genetics and so pats many colleagues on the back for elegant work before later denouncing genetic fundamentalism. Politics? Perhaps I am unfair here, but he appears conflicted in his dismissal of "creationists" while on the other hand objecting to scientists who disdain religious sensibilities. Nonetheless we should welcome these open-minded views on the theology of evolution, and perhaps see them as a crack in a crumbling scientific edifice. The style of the book is crisp and sometimes mildly entertaining- when not too caught up in scientific detail and jargon. There is somewhat of an idiosyncratic undercurrent of science fiction speculation about whether extraterrestrial life converges with earth life. Terms like intelligence, consciousness and sentience are introduced but not really discussed. Thus, I was left wondering if S C-M thought they applied only to humans and higher mammals – the narrow view- or to all life – the broader, perennial view. Likewise I found that the more serious intelligent design debates were avoided, perhaps, again, for fear of aggravating colleagues or encouraging creationists (which he explicitly states he can not do- despite his final chapter). And, while mentioning anthropic principles and promulgating the idea that evolution is "directed" to a degree, why no mention of fellow paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin. And what of that hyperspace, 99.9% void of matter- is it the figurative domain of some kind of directed, unseen, spiritual, organisation? If evolved consciousness is inevitable does spiritual sensibility not inevitably permeate consciousness when scientific explanation reaches its limits? Moreover, the Life's Solutions paradigm "inevitably" suggests that those ET types are also on spiritually as well as intellectually convergent journeys!

Lockley, M. G. 1999. The Eternal Trail. Perseus Schad, W. 1977. Man and Mammals: toward a Biology of Form. Waldorf Press, New York.