Featured Video this month

Why do the arguments over evolutionary biology matter to the big questions we face as human beings? The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy made a character in Anna Karenina say: “Without knowing who I am and why I am here, life is impossible” (Без знания того, кто я и зачем я здесь, жизнь невозможна). The key is “Do we and other organisms have purpose?” This plenary lecture was delivered to a Convention audience of 12,000 in Andong, Korea, in October 2023. The theme of the Convention was 21st Century Human Values. Denis Noble explains why the alternative to the Selfish Gene view of organisms is empowering, and why biology needs to understand and study the agency of living systems. The video recording is the original live stream of the event. The lecture begins at around 3 minutes and lasts around 40 minutes. After discussion led by Professor Yung-e Earm, the event is followed by the Closing Ceremony, including a superb musical performance.