Ep 36: Intentional Evolution

<p>Is there a role for agency in evolution? Do organismal efforts to maintain homeostasis represent a form of biological intentionality? On this episode of Big Biology, we talk with Scott Turner, a physiologist and emeritus professor of Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Scott’s book,&nbsp;<em>Purpose and Desire</em>, discusses how holes in standard evolutionary theory might be productively filled by the concept of homeostasis.&nbsp;Scott argues that by attempting to maintain metabolism and exporting entropy to the environment, organisms manifest a form of agency that can affect the evolution of their lineages.&nbsp;His book and ideas have met with some&nbsp;criticism, and in the show, we confront him about whether his position is subtle intelligent design theory.</p> --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bigbiology/message