There’s lots going on in Britain that isn’t covered by Times Higher. Look at this item, flagged by a kind reader, from IAI: Philosophy for Our Times:
After Darwin: Evolution beyond the selfish gene
The brutal mechanism of natural selection gave rise to all life on our planet, or so the Darwinian story goes. But from mice to great whales, it now appears that animals can inherit socially acquired characteristics. And after a century of hype, the tools to build a brave new world through intelligent design are within our grasp. Is the theory of natural selection a Victorian relic, about to be replaced by a new science of cultural evolution? Or does the promised paradigm shift provide no real challenge to Darwin’s theory?
The Panel
Philosophers of science Massimo Pigliucci, author of Cultural Evolution Tim Lewens, and psychologist and primatologist Zanna Clay ask if there is more to evolution than we might think. David Malone hosts:
It’s not clear how to embed the vid so you will have to go to their site to see it.
See also: At Times Higher: Is Defending Expertise Worthwhile These Days? Taking issue: Persecution stories are only a small part of the picture. The insistence that anyone be allowed to have whatever they are doing, saying, or thinking regarded as science in order to do justice to wronged groups doesn’t generally arise from scientists who are on the outs with their colleagues about an ingroup issue like Vit C injections or HPV vaccines. It arises from a social justice demand that the professional and academic spoils of science be shared among a host of new claimants, making a variety of claims.