What is Field Theory? Unseen Fields Guide All Goal-Directed Things in the Universe

Daniel McShea is Professor of Biology, and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He is a scientist, philosopher and author. His work focuses on 2 main areas: 1) Evolution of Complexity: In a 2010 book with Robert Brandon, Biology's First Law, he argues that the complexity of organisms will tend to increase spontaneously in the absence of natural selection and other forces. In evolution, complexity is easy (and simplicity is hard.) A second book, The Missing Two Thirds of Evolutionary Theory (Brandon and McShea 2020), further develops the theory, offering a quantitative formulation.2) Teleology (purpose, goal directedness): A common physical structure underlies all goal-directed systems, from acorns turning into oak trees to homing torpedoes to human passions and purposes. All of these are hierarchically structured, consisting a small thing nested within a large thing, more precisely, a goal-directed entity moving within a larger directing field.