Pandaemonium Architecture 6.0

In this course

Julian Huxley was a mid-twentieth-century biologist and evolutionary theorist who developed the concept of cosmic evolution—the idea that evolutionary processes operate across astronomical, biological, and cultural scales. The course readings invoke him as a foundational figure for understanding how evolution became not just a scientific framework but a worldview that structures thinking about human destiny, intelligence, and cultural development on cosmic timescales. His work enables the readings to argue that cultural evolution, increasingly dominant on Earth, must be understood as continuous with biological and cosmic evolution rather than separate from it.

Mentioned in 2 readings

Steven J. Dick

Cosmic Evolution, from Cosmos and Culture

6

When and how did astronomers and biologists come to believe in cosmic evolution as a guiding principle for their work, and how did it become a serious research program? In her pioneering book, Unifying Biology: The Evolutionary Synthesis an…Since Darwin propounded his theory of evolution by natural selection, evolution has been much more than a science. It has been a worldview that has affected culture in numerous ways, and different cultures in diverse ways.<sup>23</sup> As w…thinking on cosmic time scales for biology and culture. But cultural evolution now completely dominates biological evolution on Earth. Given the age of the universe, and if intelligence is common, it may have evolved far beyond us. If intel…

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Timnit Gebru and Emile P. Torres

The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence

5

Transhumanism and Extropianism. We begin our discussion with transhumanism, a version of second-wave eugenics that affirms the feasibility and desirability of radical “human enhancement.” The word “transhumanism” may have been coined in 194…Transhumanism and Extropianism. We begin our discussion with transhumanism, a version of second-wave eugenics that affirms the feasibility and desirability of radical “human enhancement.” The word “transhumanism” may have been coined in 194…Longtermism was born when EAs reasoned: If our aim is to do the most good possible, and if the future could contain astronomical amounts of “value,” then we should focus on the far future rather than the present (Greaves and MacAskill, 2019…

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Appears alongside

People mentioned in the same passages — sorted by co-occurrence weight.