Evolutionary Theory
An Esalen Invitational Conference
November 5-10, 2000

Conference Overview
Frank Poletti

A comprehensive narrative describing the origin, development, and fate of our cosmos and the role of human evolution within it is indispensable for any vision of higher human purpose. Mainstream academia tends to ignore the broad sweep of our evolutionary heritage and the human potential for further evolution. This conference series aims at a broad conciliance between the physical, biological, and noetic sciences and seeks to articulate the common principles of our continuing evolutionary story.

In November 2000 this conference series convened for its second meeting and built upon the groundwork laid in the first year by gathering another talented group of scientists and religious scholars to inquire into evolutionary theory writ large. Breaking the topic into a manageable discussion, the conference spotlighted four themes.

Epistemology
The physical and biological sciences focus on the observed data of evolution and theorize about its underlying dynamics, but a noetic perspective on evolution considers human subjective experience as a valid source of data to be weighed along with that obtained by traditional objective methods. Attempting to bring two different perspectives on evolution together into a generative conversation, the conference began with an open inquiry into some core epistemological questions facing this transdisciplinary conversation: What constitutes valid knowledge and data? And by what methods do we know such data to be true? Responding to this task with open minds, the conference participants respectfully entertained multiple epistemological perspectives and evaluated their unique contributions to a more inclusive understanding of evolutionary theory.

After the opening discussion, there were a series of presentations looking at the nature of human knowing itself: How did humans evolve into conscious, reflective, and language-making creatures? Former Yale philosopher Jay Ogilvy started the presentations by noting that humans are "scenario spinning" creatures. Unlike other species, we can imagine different possible futures for ourselves and choose to act towards them. In response, Harvard developmental psychologist Robert Kegan described his research on the increasing complexity of human consciousness as it develops from childhood to adulthood, pointing out that human cognition shows a clear developmental pattern toward increased awareness of the objective world. Lastly, Gestalt psychologist Gordon Wheeler exposed Western psychology’s hidden bias toward viewing consciousness as an individual act: "I am conscious." Instead, Wheeler asked the participants to reflect on how consciousness and knowing have evolved in relationship. What we know is always known, in Wheeler’s terms, "intersubjectively."

Evolution Across the Great Domains
When scholars use the term "evolution," one often thinks of Charles Darwin and perhaps how humans "separated" from the apes. But in this conference, the conversation was extended far beyond terrestrial and animal evolution to include the developmental patterns of the entire universe. Aided by his stellar slide show, Harvard-trained astrophysicist Eric Chaisson displayed the most recent astronomical evidence from the Hubble Telescope as he drove home his central idea: that in the history of the universe there is an unmistakable trend toward the rise of complexity. Esalen President George Leonard followed with a cogent presentation of philosopher Ken Wilber’s Twenty Tenets of universal evolution. Leonard described Wilber’s central idea about "holons," in which everything in the universe is simultaneously both a part and a whole. Lastly, UC Santa Cruz astrobiologist David Deamer summarized some of the most recent evidence indicating that the molecular building blocks necessary for life are present in interstellar space clouds. Deamer hypothesizes that after having been delivered to earth inside meteorites, those molecules spontaneously self-assembled into proto-life forms that started the evolutionary process.

The Evolution of Consciousness
Perhaps there is no riddle more difficult to solve than why humans are conscious, self-reflective beings. University of Washington neurophysiologist William Calvin introduced this topic by postulating how a Darwinian process of selection operating at the level of neurons and axons could have enabled our ancestors’ brains to rapidly expand in size during the early hominid phase of evolution. Anthropologists still do not have a clear explanation for why our direct homo spaien ancestors had fully-sized brains 150,000 years ago, yet did not display indications of symbolic language until several centuries later. UC San Diego biologist Christopher Wills responded by looking at a few of the other unsolved mysteries of evolution. He pointed out that the total number of genes for a given species (its genotype) is vastly disproportionate with its actual physical appearance (its phenotype). For example, recent evidence from the human genome project has revealed that humans have only about 4,000 more genes than a fruit fly, yet we are considerably more complex in shape and size. UCLA neuro-psychiatrist George Solomon concluded with a presentation highlighting the evolutionary history of immune functioning. Solomon pointed out that consciousness is not just the result of the neuro-chemistry of the brain but results from the complex processes of our entire body-mind system.

Telos
The conference concluded with a brief look at evidence suggestive of teleology, meaning the study of "ends" or "goals" in evolution. University of Connecticut microbiologist Peter Gogarten shared a potentially paradigm-shifting presentation, in which he argued that recent genomic mapping of certain strands of bacteria seems to indicate that bacteria can deliberately share their genetic information to increase their chances for survival. Countering the traditional notion that evolution proceeds by vertical inheritance alone (parent to child), Gogarten suggested that evolution at the microbial level may occur by horizontal inheritance as well (direct sharing between simultaneously living organisms).