Today is the last ECCO seminar of the present season, so please
use the occasion to attend!
Symbiogenesis as a Fundamental
Evolutionary Principle
by
(CLWF, VUB)
Place: room 3C204 (building C, 3rd floor), VUB campus
Etterbeek
Time: Friday, Dec. 23, at 17:00 h.
Abstract
The serial endo-symbiogenetic theory of Lynn Margulis and Dorian
Sagan explains the origin of the five kingdoms in biology. Contrary
to Neo-Darwinian theory that explains evolution as a result of
speciation, symbiogenesis is a principle that investigates how
evolutionary lineages can merge. Universal selectionist accounts are
currently being developed within evolutionary epistemology, and it
will be argued that there is room for a universal symbiogenetic
account as well, that, amongst other disciplines, can be put to use
in language origin and evolution studies.
Outline of the presentation: First, a general account of
symbiogenesis will be given; secondly, it will be discussed how this
principle differs from natural selection, and finally, it will be
investigated how we can universalize this principle.
About the speaker
Nathalie Gontier studied Philosophy at the VUB (2001), and
Comparative Science of Culture (Anthropology) at the University of
Ghent (2002). Currently she is a research assistant for the Fund for
Scientific Research-Flanders, connected to the Centre for Logic and
Philosophy of Science. She is preparing a PhD in Philosophy about the
origin and evolution of language. Her main research interests are
philosophy of biology and evolutionary epistemology as implemented in
the origin of life and language. Together with Katrien Mondt she
founded DITO, a think-tank on inter- and transdisciplinary language
research.
--
Francis Heylighen
"Evolution, Complexity and Cognition" research group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
--
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
