This evening I played with Chat GPT for the first time. Chat GPT is an artificial-intelligence chat bot. I found that it gave accurate summaries of scientific consensus. This is useful for revealing when scientific consensus contradicts itself.
In my 2020 paper “Natural reward drives the advancement of life,” I argued that a self-contradiction in Darwin’s theory of evolution provided a double bind for modern evolutionists. Anyone who commented on the contradiction in Darwin’s theory was punished or ostracized. The result was that evolutionary biology developed a sort of schizophrenia (as predicted by Bateson et al.’s (1956) theory), which among other things, resulted in the perpetuation of other self-contradictions of theory. One such self-contradiction was the focus on natural selection within species while simultaneously arguing that “the struggle for existence” metaphor was not integral to modern evolutionary theory. Darwin used “the struggle for existence” to define the levels of selection and most productive areas of modern evolutionary theory, like population genetics, rely on Darwin’s argument without understanding its foundations.
Here, I bait Chat GPT to give the consensus opinion that “the struggle for existence” is not essential to modern evolutionary theory. I then lead Chat GPT to admit that “the struggle for existence” was crucial for Darwin’s definition of the levels of selection. Finally, I raise the question of how it can be claimed that “the struggle for existence” was not strictly necessary for modern evolutionary theory, if it defined the levels of selection. After working itself into a corner, Chat GPT gives a non-sensical answer to this final question.
Chat GPT reminds me of “Simplicio” in Galileo’s (1632) “Dialogue concerning the two chief world systems.” It also reminds me of many of my reviewers. Chat GPT might be useful for creating a foil for today’s simplistic biologist in a similar dialogue.
Below, my queries are in bold and Chat GPT’s responses are in plain text.
Summarize what Charles Robert Darwin’s theory of natural selection uniquely predicted and explained.
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection predicted and explained the evolution of species through the process of natural selection. According to this theory, individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation, leading to the evolution of new species over time. This theory is unique in that it provides a mechanism for how species change over time and adapt to their environment, without relying on a supernatural explanation. Natural selection explains how complex and well-adapted species can arise through gradual and incremental changes, without the need for divine intervention. This was a revolutionary idea at the time and remains a central concept in modern biology.
Additionally, Darwin’s theory also predicted and explained the principle of common descent, which states that all species on Earth have a shared ancestry and have evolved from a common ancestor over time. This theory supports the idea that all living organisms are related through a shared history, providing a comprehensive explanation for the diversity of life on Earth. The theory of natural selection is still widely accepted today and remains one of the cornerstone concepts in evolutionary biology.
Explain how Charles Darwin used Thomas Malthus’s concept of “the struggle for existence.”
Thomas Malthus’s concept of “the struggle for existence” was a central influence on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Malthus argued that populations of living organisms tend to grow exponentially, while the availability of resources to support this growth remains limited. This results in a struggle for existence, in which some individuals are able to survive and reproduce while others die off.
Darwin used this concept in his theory of evolution by natural selection to explain how species change over time. He argued that the struggle for existence leads to competition between individuals within a species, with those possessing advantageous traits being more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, these advantageous traits become more common in the population, leading to the evolution of new species. In this way, the struggle for existence, as described by Malthus, provides the driving force for evolution by natural selection.
In summary, Darwin used Malthus’s concept of the struggle for existence to provide a foundation for his theory of evolution by natural selection. This concept helped Darwin to explain how competition between individuals within a species leads to the selection of advantageous traits and the evolution of new species over time.
If Malthus’s notion of the struggle for existence is not strictly necessary in modern evolutionary theory, then what justifies the focus on natural selection within species? Entire species can be seen as being born with speciation or dying with extinction, so species might be seen to have “fitness.” Are species therefore units of selection or fitness?
Modern evolutionary theory focuses on natural selection within species because this is where the majority of evolution occurs. Over time, the accumulation of beneficial mutations and changes in gene frequency within a population can result in the formation of new species, but this process typically occurs over long periods of time and is influenced by a variety of factors beyond just the struggle for existence.
While species themselves can be seen as units of selection or fitness in some contexts, they are not typically considered the primary unit of selection in modern evolutionary theory. Instead, the focus is on individual organisms and their ability to survive and reproduce, which determines the transmission of their genes to future generations.
In summary, the focus on natural selection within species is justified because it is where the majority of evolution occurs, and individual organisms are considered the primary unit of selection in modern evolutionary theory. While species themselves can be seen as units of selection or fitness in some contexts, this is not the primary focus of modern evolutionary theory.
What was Charles Darwin’s explanation for why the majority of evolution occurs within species?
Charles Darwin’s explanation for why the majority of evolution occurs within species was based on his theory of evolution by natural selection. According to Darwin, evolution occurs as a result of the accumulation of small, beneficial mutations in a population over time. These mutations are passed on to future generations and can lead to changes in the frequency of traits within a population. If a particular trait provides an advantage for survival and reproduction, then the individuals possessing that trait are more likely to survive and pass on their genes to future generations. Over time, the frequency of the advantageous trait increases in the population, leading to the evolution of new species.
Darwin argued that the majority of evolution occurs within species because the process of speciation, or the formation of new species, is a slow and gradual process that takes place over long periods of time. While speciation can occur as a result of genetic and environmental changes, the majority of evolution occurs as a result of the accumulation of small, gradual changes within a population.
In conclusion, Charles Darwin’s explanation for why the majority of evolution occurs within species is based on his theory of evolution by natural selection. He argued that the process of evolution is driven by the accumulation of small, beneficial mutations in a population over time, and that speciation is a slow and gradual process that takes place over long periods of time.
If, as according to Charles Darwin, individuals of the same species experience the same checks to population increase, including resource limitations or the effects of predators and parasites, then will competitive exclusion usually occur between types within species, or between different species or higher taxonomic categories?
According to Charles Darwin, competitive exclusion usually occurs between individuals of the same species, not between different species or higher taxonomic categories. Darwin believed that in a population, individuals experience the same checks to population increase, including resource limitations or the effects of predators and parasites. This results in a struggle for existence, in which some individuals are more successful in surviving and reproducing than others.
Darwin argued that this competition for resources and survival results in the selection of advantageous traits within a population. Individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes to future generations. Over time, the frequency of these advantageous traits increases in the population, leading to the evolution of new species.
In conclusion, according to Darwin, competitive exclusion usually occurs between individuals of the same species as a result of the struggle for existence. The competition for resources and survival drives the selection of advantageous traits within a population, leading to the evolution of new species over time. This is distinct from competition between different species or higher taxonomic categories, which Darwin believed was not as important a factor in the evolution of species.
If Darwin defined the levels of competition and selection by reference to what he called “the struggle for existence,” then is it really true that “the struggle for existence” is not strictly necessary for modern evolutionary theory? In other words, would modern evolutionary theory have experienced any progress whatsoever if biologists did not know that natural selection applies almost exclusively within species, and not to species, clades, ecosystems, planets, or whole universes?
It is true that the concept of “the struggle for existence” is not strictly necessary for modern evolutionary theory, but it played a significant role in the development of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. The concept of the struggle for existence helped Darwin to explain why species evolve and how evolution occurs.
However, while the struggle for existence is not necessary for modern evolutionary theory, it is still considered an important aspect of Darwin’s theory. The concept of the struggle for existence helped to illustrate the importance of competition and selection within species, which is the primary focus of Darwin’s theory.
In modern evolutionary theory, the concept of the struggle for existence has been replaced by more precise and detailed models that use mathematical and statistical approaches to study evolution. These models still acknowledge the importance of competition and selection within species, but they do not rely on the concept of the struggle for existence as a central component of the theory.
In conclusion, while the concept of the struggle for existence is not strictly necessary for modern evolutionary theory, it played a significant role in the development of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and is still considered an important aspect of Darwin’s work. However, modern evolutionary theory has advanced beyond the use of the struggle for existence as a central concept, and now uses more precise and detailed models to study evolution.
References
Bateson, G., Jackson, D.D., Haley, J. and Weakland, J., (1956). Toward a theory of schizophrenia. Behavioral science, 1(4), pp.251-264.
Galileo Galilei (1632). Dialogue concerning the two chief world systems.
Gilbert, Owen M (2020). Natural reward drives the advancement of life. Rethinking Ecology 5: 1-35.