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Twentieth Annual Darwin College Lecture Series 2005

CONFLICT

Lecture 2   :   28 January

GENOMIC CONFLICT

David Haig

Biography  |   Abstract   |   Printable Version

Abstract

Genomic Conflict and the Divided Self, David Haig

We often have the subjective experience of struggling with ourselves, of a conflict between powerful internal voices in which neither side yields nor gives up the debate. These internal conflicts often seem maladaptive; consuming time, energy, and repose. If we are the adaptive products of natural selection, why should our minds work in this way? Three broad classes of explanation suggest themselves. One might argue that internal conflicts are in some sense illusory; that the 'contending parties' have the same ultimate ends; and that natural selection has simply adopted an adversarial system as the best mechanism of arriving at useful truths. One might argue that internal conflicts arise from constraints on the perfection of adaptation; that evolved mechanisms work well on average but occasionally malfunction. An analogy would be to the 'system conflicts' that occasionally cause my computer to crash: multiple functional programs are running simultaneously and occasionally make contradictory or ambiguous demands on the operating system; neither programmers nor natural selection have been able to eliminate all opportunities for malfunction. Finally, one might argue that internal conflicts are 'real' and reflect a disagreement over ultimate ends between different agents that contribute to mental activity. Such conflicts could include conflicts between different genetic agents within the genome, conflicts between memes and genes, and conflicts among different memes.

The lectures are given at 5.30 p.m. in The Lady Mitchell Hall, Sidgwick Avenue, with an adjacent overflow theatre with live TV coverage. Each lecture is typically attended by 600 people so you must arrive early to ensure a place.