Dr Gunnar Babcock is a lecturer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Biology at Duke University. He received his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University at Albany, SUNY. His research is primarily in the philosophy of science/biology. It focuses on topics like biological individuality, species, and both modern and historical accounts of teleology. Much of his work aims to develop a new approach to understanding goal directed systems called field theory. He is also involved in the project “Does Earth’s habitability for life exist due to or in spite of Darwinian evolution by natural selection?” His other research considers developments in synthetic biology, the scope of selective processes, and how biotechnologies sometimes help reveal the metaphysical underpinnings of concepts like reproduction, species, lineages, and life generally. His broader philosophical interests extend to ethics in life sciences, history and philosophy of science, and ancient philosophy.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction
1:11 - Defining Life & Reproduction
6:49 - Production vs Reproduction
9:17 - Griesemer's Influence on Biology
11:41 - Biological Fission
14:17 - Individuality vs Connectedness
18:20 - Philosophy of Biology
19:50 - Challenging Our Understanding of Reproduction
23:19 - Biological Fusion
30:38 - Working with Daniel McShea (upcoming MBS guest)
33:49 - Consciousness & the Mind-Body Problem
39:14 - Gunnar's Journey & Heroes
48:10 - AI, Robots, & Life
56:11 - Rethinking Life
58:38 - Are Viruses Alive?
1:00:43 - Conclusion

EPISODE LINKS:
- Gunnar's Website: https://gunnarbabcock.wordpress.com/
- Gunnar's Work: https://cals.cornell.edu/gunnar-babcock
- Gunnar's Publications: https://philpeople.org/profiles/gunnar-babcock
- Gunnar's Aeon Paper: https://aeon.co/essays/we-need-to-stop-thinking-about-sex-when-it-comes-to-reproduction
- Levin, Solms, Babcock, McShea: https://youtu.be/VUszs0nALxM?feature=shared
- Levin, Babcock, McShea: https://youtu.be/7ZahEQGwc1g?feature=shared

CONNECT:
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- YouTube: https://youtube.com/mindbodysolution
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