We seem to move ever closer to a requirement that we know where we came from, who we are, and where we are going.
Being ever closer partners with AI models and tools, we need to distinguish in useful ways what is important for humans to be/ do. That also depends partly on what we can gain from living alongside AI that aligns well with who we are.
So who are we? If this is question is no longer just contained within esoteric traditions of Gnosis and/or mainstream Religious revelations, or perhaps just the province of the most abstract of philosophies, how can it be “grounded” in science? What might that grounding look like?
Here’s 2 thinkers who have things to say in that regard, and yes it’s fun that they almost have exactly the same name. Both are everywhere online. This is what GPT 5.o thinks of them.
(BTW, does 5.0 have anything to do with the ancient TV show?)
Sean B. Carroll vs. Sean M. Carroll
| Feature | Sean B. Carroll | Sean M. Carroll |
|---|---|---|
| Field | Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) | Theoretical physics & cosmology |
| Main Positions | • Professor, University of Maryland • Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison • VP for Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
• Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University • External Professor, Santa Fe Institute • Former Senior Research Associate, Caltech |
| Core Research Areas | • Evolutionary genetics • Developmental gene regulation (toolkit genes, Hox genes) • Deep homology • Role of chance and mass extinctions in shaping life |
• Arrow of time & entropy • Origins and fate of the universe • Quantum mechanics foundations (Many-Worlds interpretation) • Dark energy & cosmology |
| Big Ideas | • Randomness matters: Low-probability events can radically redirect evolution • Genetic conservation: Common molecular “toolkits” underlie diverse forms • Deep homology: Shared developmental controls across life forms |
• Poetic naturalism: Science and philosophy can coexist as narratives about reality • Time’s arrow: The universe’s asymmetry in time is rooted in entropy • Many-Worlds: Quantum events branch into multiple realities |
| Representative Books | • Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2005) • The Making of the Fittest (2006) • Remarkable Creatures (2009) • A Series of Fortunate Events (2020) |
• From Eternity to Here (2010) • The Big Picture (2016) • Something Deeply Hidden (2019) • The Biggest Ideas in the Universe (2022–2023 series) |
| Media Presence | • Big Think, HHMI BioInteractive videos • Executive producer of science documentaries (The Serengeti Rules, All That Breathes) |
• Podcasts (Mindscape), Big Think, PBS Space Time • Frequent guest on science & philosophy programs |
| Overlap Topics | • Evolution as contingent and shaped by external forces | • Physics as contingent on cosmic initial conditions |
| Quick ID Tip | Talks about fossils, genes, and biodiversity; emphasizes chance in life’s history | Talks about black holes, time travel, and quantum mechanics; emphasizes the nature of time |