Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Is evolution really just random?
In this conversation, Oxford physiologist Denis Noble speaks with Spanish science writer David Obón about a deeper question at the heart of biology: is life truly a passive result of chance and selection — or is it something more active?
Rather than rejecting Darwin, this discussion challenges the limitations of Neo-Darwinism and its reductionist framework. If natural selection only selects, but does not create, where does biological novelty come from?
They explore fundamental questions:
– What gives life to inert matter?
– How does complexity emerge in living systems?
– Do organisms exhibit purpose or intentionality?
– Is evolution a passive process, or an active search for novelty?
David Obón introduces a provocative idea: life is not just matter — it is matter that learns. Through continuous innovation, biological systems actively search, adapt, and generate new possibilities.
This perspective reframes evolution not as a purely random process, but as a dynamic and creative one.
From Darwin and Lamarck to artificial intelligence and biological learning, this conversation opens a new way of thinking about life itself.
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🎓 Featuring
Denis Noble – Professor of Physiology, University of Oxford
David Obón – Author of *Evolution: The Invention of Creativity*
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📌 Topics
Neo-Darwinism and its limits
Reductionism in biology
Purpose and intentionality in life
Evolution as a creative process
Biological learning and innovation
AI and the future of evolution
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Subscribe for more conversations on science, philosophy, and the future of knowledge.
#Evolution #NeoDarwinism #DenisNoble #PhilosophyOfScience #ArtificialIntelligence
Is evolution really just random?
In this conversation, Oxford physiologist Denis Noble speaks with Spanish science writer David Obón about a deeper question at the heart of biology: is life truly a passive result of chance and selection — or is it something more active?
Rather than rejecting Darwin, this discussion challenges the limitations of Neo-Darwinism and its reductionist framework. If natural selection only selects, but does not create, where does biological novelty come from?
They explore fundamental questions:
– What gives life to inert matter?
– How does complexity emerge in living systems?
– Do organisms exhibit purpose or intentionality?
– Is evolution a passive process, or an active search for novelty?
David Obón introduces a provocative idea: life is not just matter — it is matter that learns. Through continuous innovation, biological systems actively search, adapt, and generate new possibilities.
This perspective reframes evolution not as a purely random process, but as a dynamic and creative one.
From Darwin and Lamarck to artificial intelligence and biological learning, this conversation opens a new way of thinking about life itself.
---
🎓 Featuring
Denis Noble – Professor of Physiology, University of Oxford
David Obón – Author of *Evolution: The Invention of Creativity*
---
📌 Topics
Neo-Darwinism and its limits
Reductionism in biology
Purpose and intentionality in life
Evolution as a creative process
Biological learning and innovation
AI and the future of evolution
---
Subscribe for more conversations on science, philosophy, and the future of knowledge.
#Evolution #NeoDarwinism #DenisNoble #PhilosophyOfScience #ArtificialIntelligence
