by Anna Talman
Staff Writer

World-renowned scientist and author Stephen Jay Gould elucidated the concept of Darwinian evolution to an enraptured audience of 500 as part of the University Lecture Series on Tuesday night.

The lecture, titled “Unpredictability and Nondirectionality in the History of Life,” centered on man’s desire to predict the future and to “tell stories” about our own existence.

Gould, author of some 20 best selling books, spoke of the reasons behind the general populace’s unwillingness to accept Darwinian evolution, a theory Gould called a “beautiful, glorious, dangerous idea.”

Gould also asserted that humans search for patterns or predictability in the nature of things as a way of seeking solace. They often turn to science or statistics to look for an absolute truth or solution that may comfort them. He suggested that this quest may be fruitless.

“[There is] a set of questions about morality and meaning that can’t be answered by science or by how the world is [physically] constituted…it isn’t the way you’d like it to be…you have to seek solace elsewhere…[you’ll] be disappointed if you back your hopes in science,” Gould said.

According to Gould, most people who believe in evolution see it as a perfect line connecting the ape, a seemingly less complex organism, to the “white business man in a suit.” He contended that evolution should instead be visualized as a set of small random occurrences, which add up to produce the world as we see it.

“One hundred million little accidents lead to the huge cascade of history,” he said.

Toward the end of his lecture, Gould used the history American Civil War as a metaphor for the history of life on Earth. He mentioned the many “contingencies,” seemingly small events, which built up to the North’s victory and the history as we know it. He said that life itself is made up by these same contingencies.

“The history of life is really the same way, but we just don’t want it to be because it’s science…I think we should revel in it…we each have a possibility of making a difference…even my life in a world of contingency can make a difference,” Gould said.

He proposed that the solace that humans cannot necessarily find in science might be found in the idea that our lives can have an influence on those around us. One of Gould’s book titles, Wonderful Life, makes reference to the popular movie It’s a Wonderful Life, in which a character sees how the world would have been had he never been born.

“We all have influences we don’t even know about,” he said.

Gould related this idea to how we should react to the events of September 11. He said that he had selected this topic prior to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but that these events made its theme even more critical.

“We have to record [the] small kindnesses…ordinary human decency will overwhelm the evil of a few,” he said.

However, the talk was not all so serious. He made jokes about some of his slides, and quipped about the Yankees. Gould, an avid baseball fan, even incorporated the idea of his lecture—predictability—into the joke..

“I won’t predict about the [Diamondback-Yankee series]. No predictions,” he said, then, “Yanks in six.”

Brittany Allen ’04, was impressed with the multi-faceted Gould.

“It was surprising how he drew from so many disciplines. I think it made it really tangible—he made some really complex ideas very tangible,” she said

The lecture was followed by a short question and answer period and a small reception, during which audience members could converse directly with Gould.

The audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

“It was great to see in person someone whose books I’ve read...to see how he thinks on his feet and to see a character behind the name,” said Jim Hadler, parent of Max Hadler ’03.

Zara Acosta ’05, who had Gould autograph her copy of his book Leonardo’s Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms, agreed.

“He is incredibly vibrant and impressive in person,” she said.

Several audience members commented on the complexity of the talk and on Gould’s weaving together of material from several fields.

“I’ve read his books, and I agree with just about everything he said, but I thought that it was very complicated to listen to. I wondered how the Sign Language interpreter dealt with all the tangents and complexities,” said Professor Mike McAlear of the Molecular Biology Department.

Gould, 60, is a professor of geology and zoology at Harvard University and is the curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Harvard Museum for Comparative Zoology. His best-selling books include The Mismeasure of Man, Questioning the Millennium, and The Panda’s Thumb, which won the National Book Award. He graduated from Antioch College in 1963, and received a PhD from Columbia in 1967. Gould has won numerous awards for his scientific thought and writing, and is Wesleyan University’s first Snowdon Fellow.

According to Jean Shaw, who coordinated Gould’s fellowship, while on campus Professor Gould met with students and faculty members from the College of Social Studies, with a group of evolutionary biology students and faculty, with Professor Anne Greene’s “Form in Nonfiction” class; with professors Anne Burke’s and Ellen Thomas’s class, “Life and Planet Earth; Diversity, Evolution and Distinction.” He also held three additional discussion sessions with faculty and students.

Professor Cecilia Miller of the College of Social Studies and the History Department nominated Gould to the Snowdon Fellowship. The fellowship is funded by a gift from Edward Snowdon ’33, presented to the University last year.