UCLA Humanities

“Evolutionary Theory and the Unification of Life Sciences in the 21st Century” – Eva Jablonka, Prof. Emerita, Tel Aviv University
2026-04-13 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Haines Hall 352
Monday, April 13, 2026
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Haines Hall 352
RSVP HERE

Join us on April 13, 2026 at 12:00 – 1:30 PM in Haines Hall 352 for a talk with Eva Jablonka, hosted by the UCLA Department of Anthropology. This lecture is part of the Frank Marlowe Memorial Lecture Series, in the Center for Behavior, Evolution and Culture.

There will be a reception to launch the exhibition of artwork by Jablonka’s collaborator, Anna Zeligowski, with food and drinks at 5:30 – 7:00 PM in Dodd Hall 321.

Evolutionary Theory and the Unification of Life Sciences in the 21st Century

I argue that the changes in our current view of evolutionary theory are leading to a new unification of life-sciences, which is occurring, seemingly paradoxically, within the context of their increased specialization and fracturing. Unlike the modern evolutionary synthesis of the 20th century (the MS) which claimed that selection is the only direction-giving process in evolution, the current synthesis incorporates not only new biological domains but also processes that were excluded by the MS. I consider two aspects of this unification: the first is the synthesis between development and heredity, which involves enrichment of both notions and is leading to important changes in our view of evolution, discussed within the framework of the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES). The second aspect is the study of mental processes stemming from research into the evolutionary origins and effects of consciousness. I argue that these developments enable the construction of a unifying evolutionary framework for the expanding domain of 21st century life sciences, which is becoming based on broader and richer views of heredity, adaptation and cognition.

Eva Jablonka is Professor emerita, The Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel-Aviv University. At present, she is a visiting fellow in the Simons Center for Systems Biology in the IAS, Princeton.

Visit the Anthropology event page for more info: https://bec.ucla.edu/event/eva-jablonka-prof-emeritus-tel-aviv-univ/

RSVP HERE

Join our mailing list!
Sign up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date with future UCLA Philosophy events, conferences, and colloquia!
SIGN UP HERE
