Agency in Biology — Coming Clean on the Reality

Image: Wikipedia. A microphage looks like it is purposefully chasing after a bacterium in protecting our bodies. Does it think or does it just look like it is thinking? You might be surprised.

One thing that has long bothered me about popular science writing is that the language of intention or agency is used when none is intended. When scientists or journalists say things about “evolution designed an organism to…” or “nature has created a…” they are using the language of persons, intentions, and agency to describe things they consider completely random and purposeless.