Konieczne rozwiązania życia w ujęciu Simona Conwaya Morrisa

• Authors: Michał Nowosad

Title variants

EN

Necessary Life’s Solutions According to Simon Conway Morris

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

PL

Artykuł dotyczy koniecznych rozwiązań życia w ujęciu Simona Conwaya Morrisa. Simon Conway Morris (ur. 1951) jest brytyjskim paleontologiem, który zdobył sławę w środowisku naukowym przez swoje badania nad skamieniałościami w łupkach z Burgess. Dokładna analiza tych skamieniałości początkowo doprowadziła go do wniosków podobnych do wniosków Stephena Jay Goulda – przede wszystkim o doniosłej roli przypadku w procesie ewolucji życia. Z czasem jednak Simon Conway Morris zmienił swoje zdanie na całkiem przeciwne, czemu daje wyraz w książce Life’s Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe. Uważa on, że natura jest w rzeczywistości bardzo ograniczona w swoich wyborach, przez co wiele rozwiązań ma charakter koniecznych. Temat koniecznych rozwiązań w ewolucji życia jest interesujący ze względu na ograniczoną ilość przewidywań, jakie niesie teoria ewolucji, przyjęta w środowisku biologów. Teoria ewolucji przyjmuje założenie losowych rezultatów procesu ewolucji. Zamierzam więc ocenić, czy odmienne stanowisko Autora Life’s Solution stanowi dla teorii ewolucji rzeczywistą alternatywę. Chcę przedstawić, jakie rozwiązania Simon Conway Morris uważa za konieczne, oraz na jakiej podstawie. Takie rozwiązania dzielą się na molekularne, konieczne ze względu na właściwości fizyczne substancji wykorzystywanych przez życie, oraz środowiskowe, będące odpowiedzią na potrzeby adaptacyjne. Zostanie to poparte szeregiem przykładów ze świata organizmów żywych, zarówno współczesnych, jak i dawno już wymarłych. Mam także zamiar przedstawić przewidywania, jakie wysunął Autor Life’s Solution wobec rezultatów przyszłej ewolucji organizmów żywych, oraz ocenić, czy są one zasadne. Ogólny plan artykułu ma odzwierciedlać tok wykładu Simona Conwaya Morrisa w książce Life’s Solution. Będzie prezentować tym samym, jakie zjawiska dostrzeżone w świecie przyrody są interesujące z punktu widzenia Autora, oraz do jakich doprowadziły go wniosków.

EN

The article concerns necessary life’s solutions according to Simon Conway Morris (born 1951), a British paleontologist who is famous in scientific circles thank to his research on fossils of Burgess Shale. Initially, close analysis led him to the same conclusions as Stephen Jay Gould – especially about the significant role of chance in the process of life’s evolution. Later, however, Simon Conway Morris radically changed his mind which is expressed in his book Life’s Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe. He believes that, in fact, nature is highly limited in its choices and that is the reason of necessity of many solutions. The problem of solutions in evolution of life is interesting because of the limited number of predictions formulated by the theory of evolution which is accepted by biologists. Theory of evolution assumes the randomness of evolutionary process. I will try to assess whether opposite stance of the author of Life’s Solution is a real alternative to theory of evolution. I want to present solutions which, according to Simon Conway Morris, are necessary and to show on what ground he rests his belief. He divides such solutions to molecular, necessary due to physical properties of substances, and environmental, being a response to adaptative needs. It will be substantiated by numerous examples from the living world, including both contemporary and extinct organisms. My purpose is also to present predictions given by the author of Life’s Solution as to the results of future evolution of living things, and to assess their validity.

Keywords

PL

Simon Conway Morris; konwergencja; ewolucja; teleologia

EN

Simon Conway Morris; convergence; evolution; teleology

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski. Instytut Filozofii
• Journal: Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy
• Year: 2009/2010
• Volume: 6-7
• Pages: 7-63

Contributors

author

Michał Nowosad

• Uniwersytet Zielonogórski

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