Arvid Ågren
@arvidagren.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist. Assistant Professor CCLCM/CWRU.
The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution (OUP 2021) and The Paradox of the Organism (HUP 2025).
www.arvidagren.com
The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution (OUP 2021) and The Paradox of the Organism (HUP 2025).
www.arvidagren.com
Pinned
Arvid Ågren
@arvidagren.bsky.social
· Dec 17
The Paradox of the Organism: Adaptation and Internal Conflict is now out!
Get your copy directly from @harvardpress.bsky.social
Get your copy directly from @harvardpress.bsky.social
Agreed. When you’re baking a cake, you’re allowed to pick the best cherries.
February 18, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Agreed. When you’re baking a cake, you’re allowed to pick the best cherries.
Yeah I wonder how thought out it is.
He was very taken by Popper as a grad student, for example
He was very taken by Popper as a grad student, for example
February 18, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Yeah I wonder how thought out it is.
He was very taken by Popper as a grad student, for example
He was very taken by Popper as a grad student, for example
Me too! Feels like the perfect person for it.
February 18, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Me too! Feels like the perfect person for it.
Could be.
In The Extended Phenotype he also describes papers no genetic conflicts as having the ’flavour of post-revolutionary science’ in that they assume, but not explicitly state, a gene’s-eye view of evolution.
In The Extended Phenotype he also describes papers no genetic conflicts as having the ’flavour of post-revolutionary science’ in that they assume, but not explicitly state, a gene’s-eye view of evolution.
February 18, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Could be.
In The Extended Phenotype he also describes papers no genetic conflicts as having the ’flavour of post-revolutionary science’ in that they assume, but not explicitly state, a gene’s-eye view of evolution.
In The Extended Phenotype he also describes papers no genetic conflicts as having the ’flavour of post-revolutionary science’ in that they assume, but not explicitly state, a gene’s-eye view of evolution.
Join us tomorrow for an evolutionary medicine special of internal conflicts!
Very excited for the upcoming seminars of the of the Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation STN @eseb.bsky.social!
Featuring @manishamuna.bsky.social, @mobilepurin.bsky.social, @joealcock.bsky.social, @asherleeks.bsky.social
Join the email list here:
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February 18, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Join us tomorrow for an evolutionary medicine special of internal conflicts!
Yeah quite the zinger. But the review is so short that you can't really use it for much.
Others are better to introduce debates like what-is-a-gene (Stent), adaptationism (Lewontin), or metaphors (Midgley).
I also like Mike Wade's in Evolution (attached) for the Fisher vs Wright connection.
Others are better to introduce debates like what-is-a-gene (Stent), adaptationism (Lewontin), or metaphors (Midgley).
I also like Mike Wade's in Evolution (attached) for the Fisher vs Wright connection.
February 18, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Yeah quite the zinger. But the review is so short that you can't really use it for much.
Others are better to introduce debates like what-is-a-gene (Stent), adaptationism (Lewontin), or metaphors (Midgley).
I also like Mike Wade's in Evolution (attached) for the Fisher vs Wright connection.
Others are better to introduce debates like what-is-a-gene (Stent), adaptationism (Lewontin), or metaphors (Midgley).
I also like Mike Wade's in Evolution (attached) for the Fisher vs Wright connection.
It's an interesting thread by @philipcball.bsky.social.
Also check out @monoclemind.bsky.social's great point about sub-field competition within biology, and the role in plays in debates like this
bsky.app/profile/mono...
Also check out @monoclemind.bsky.social's great point about sub-field competition within biology, and the role in plays in debates like this
bsky.app/profile/mono...
It also adds another layer of explanation because these sub disciplines are in a somewhat conscious competition for recognition (Think DNA versus Darwin in images), funding and also terminological authority (Who does get to define a gene: molecular geneticist or evolutionary theorists?) 2/3
February 18, 2026 at 2:51 PM
It's an interesting thread by @philipcball.bsky.social.
Also check out @monoclemind.bsky.social's great point about sub-field competition within biology, and the role in plays in debates like this
bsky.app/profile/mono...
Also check out @monoclemind.bsky.social's great point about sub-field competition within biology, and the role in plays in debates like this
bsky.app/profile/mono...
In the genre of critical reviews of The Selfish Gene, the most underrated may be Stent’s.
Much attention goes to Lewontin’s Nature review and to Midgley’s long critique (which wasn't, in fact, a traditional book review, but a reply to J. L. Mackie).
Dawkins later responded in the same journal.
Much attention goes to Lewontin’s Nature review and to Midgley’s long critique (which wasn't, in fact, a traditional book review, but a reply to J. L. Mackie).
Dawkins later responded in the same journal.
February 18, 2026 at 2:51 PM
In the genre of critical reviews of The Selfish Gene, the most underrated may be Stent’s.
Much attention goes to Lewontin’s Nature review and to Midgley’s long critique (which wasn't, in fact, a traditional book review, but a reply to J. L. Mackie).
Dawkins later responded in the same journal.
Much attention goes to Lewontin’s Nature review and to Midgley’s long critique (which wasn't, in fact, a traditional book review, but a reply to J. L. Mackie).
Dawkins later responded in the same journal.
Reposted by Arvid Ågren
Going through old issues of Nature, it often reads more like a local newspaper than a scientific journal.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
February 17, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Going through old issues of Nature, it often reads more like a local newspaper than a scientific journal.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
Now nicely formatted!
Individuals can fall apart into their constituent parts via evolutionary reversions in individuality, but this process can occur in two distinct ways that shape the evolution of individuality:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
@martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social & Manus Patten
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
@martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social & Manus Patten
Evolutionary transitions and reversions in individuality
Abstract. Biological individuality exists in different forms—unicellular, multicellular, colonial, etc.—which have arisen through evolutionary transitions
doi.org
February 17, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Now nicely formatted!
Going through old issues of Nature, it often reads more like a local newspaper than a scientific journal.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
February 17, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Going through old issues of Nature, it often reads more like a local newspaper than a scientific journal.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
From the February 18 1972 issue.
Dan Dennett said that you should re-express your opponent’s view so fairly that they say “Thanks, I wish I’d put it that way.”
Few embody that spirit better than the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Here in conversation with Richard Dawkins.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
Few embody that spirit better than the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Here in conversation with Richard Dawkins.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
#1. Richard Dawkins & Rowan Williams - God vs Science. What is behind the poetry of reality?
Podcast Episode · Uncommon Ground with Justin Brierley · 02/10/2026 · 1h 49m
podcasts.apple.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Dan Dennett said that you should re-express your opponent’s view so fairly that they say “Thanks, I wish I’d put it that way.”
Few embody that spirit better than the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Here in conversation with Richard Dawkins.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
Few embody that spirit better than the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Here in conversation with Richard Dawkins.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
Reposted by Arvid Ågren
Dennett on trying to convince Hamilton, Dawkins, Ridley, and Grafen of Sober & Wilson’s critique of the gene’s-eye view.
May 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Dennett on trying to convince Hamilton, Dawkins, Ridley, and Grafen of Sober & Wilson’s critique of the gene’s-eye view.
Reposted by Arvid Ågren
📣SUBMISSION DEADLINE APPROACHING:
📣 28th February
Special Issue: Foundations of Internal Conflicts
Guest Edited by @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social, @imprintedgene.bsky.social, Nina Wedell and Manus Patten
For more info: academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/ca...
📣 28th February
Special Issue: Foundations of Internal Conflicts
Guest Edited by @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social, @imprintedgene.bsky.social, Nina Wedell and Manus Patten
For more info: academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/ca...
February 11, 2026 at 5:10 PM
📣SUBMISSION DEADLINE APPROACHING:
📣 28th February
Special Issue: Foundations of Internal Conflicts
Guest Edited by @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social, @imprintedgene.bsky.social, Nina Wedell and Manus Patten
For more info: academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/ca...
📣 28th February
Special Issue: Foundations of Internal Conflicts
Guest Edited by @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, @arvidagren.bsky.social, @imprintedgene.bsky.social, Nina Wedell and Manus Patten
For more info: academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/ca...
Great! It’s open to anyone who’s interested.
The questions are mostly so that we can report things like proportion of grad students va faculty, geographical distribution etc to ESEB.
The questions are mostly so that we can report things like proportion of grad students va faculty, geographical distribution etc to ESEB.
February 10, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Great! It’s open to anyone who’s interested.
The questions are mostly so that we can report things like proportion of grad students va faculty, geographical distribution etc to ESEB.
The questions are mostly so that we can report things like proportion of grad students va faculty, geographical distribution etc to ESEB.
Very excited for the upcoming seminars of the of the Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation STN @eseb.bsky.social!
Featuring @manishamuna.bsky.social, @mobilepurin.bsky.social, @joealcock.bsky.social, @asherleeks.bsky.social
Join the email list here:
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com
Featuring @manishamuna.bsky.social, @mobilepurin.bsky.social, @joealcock.bsky.social, @asherleeks.bsky.social
Join the email list here:
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Very excited for the upcoming seminars of the of the Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation STN @eseb.bsky.social!
Featuring @manishamuna.bsky.social, @mobilepurin.bsky.social, @joealcock.bsky.social, @asherleeks.bsky.social
Join the email list here:
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com
Featuring @manishamuna.bsky.social, @mobilepurin.bsky.social, @joealcock.bsky.social, @asherleeks.bsky.social
Join the email list here:
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com
It’s hard to imagine In Our Time without Melvyn Bragg, but excited to see what Misha Glenny will do with the greatest radio programme of all time.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
In Our Time review – the first Melvyn Bragg-less show will have made BBC management clench buttocks
Misha Glenny’s debut as host of the long-running Radio 4 series tackled JS Mill’s On Liberty – a bold move given the BBC’s current legal battles
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 12:00 AM
It’s hard to imagine In Our Time without Melvyn Bragg, but excited to see what Misha Glenny will do with the greatest radio programme of all time.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
I found this paper really helpful on Fisher’s concept of the environment
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection—A Philosophical Analysis | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science: Vol 59, No 3
Abstract This paper provides a philosophical analysis of the ongoing controversy surrounding R.A. Fisher's famous ‘fundamental theorem’ of natural selection. The difference between the ‘traditional’ a...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
February 3, 2026 at 1:42 AM
I found this paper really helpful on Fisher’s concept of the environment
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
"There is still life in the old dog."
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Is the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection of any use?
Abstract. There have been many recent discussions of the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection, with an emphasis on its mathematical accuracy. It is arg
doi.org
February 2, 2026 at 8:38 PM
"There is still life in the old dog."
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
The answer is Stephen Hawking.
10 points to @kokkonut.bsky.social
Anecdote from Jonathan Watt’s Lovelock biography (2024, p. 59).
10 points to @kokkonut.bsky.social
Anecdote from Jonathan Watt’s Lovelock biography (2024, p. 59).
SUNDAY TRIVIA
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
February 1, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The answer is Stephen Hawking.
10 points to @kokkonut.bsky.social
Anecdote from Jonathan Watt’s Lovelock biography (2024, p. 59).
10 points to @kokkonut.bsky.social
Anecdote from Jonathan Watt’s Lovelock biography (2024, p. 59).
SUNDAY TRIVIA
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
February 1, 2026 at 2:13 PM
SUNDAY TRIVIA
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
After injuring himself on a Bunsen burner, James Lovelock (later of Gaia theory fame), was invited to dinner by his doctor. There, he met a baby who he would not see again until they were both elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1974.
Who was the baby?
It’s the opening line in the Individuality entry (pp. 157-158) of the fun Aristotle to Zoos (HUP 1983).
January 31, 2026 at 2:05 AM
It’s the opening line in the Individuality entry (pp. 157-158) of the fun Aristotle to Zoos (HUP 1983).
Thank you! It’s OA so the pdf link here should work academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-...
Formatted version coming soon.
Formatted version coming soon.
Evolutionary transitions and reversions in individuality
Abstract. Biological individuality exists in different forms—unicellular, multicellular, colonial, etc.—which have arisen through evolutionary transitions
academic.oup.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Thank you! It’s OA so the pdf link here should work academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-...
Formatted version coming soon.
Formatted version coming soon.