Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould explained his theories in evolutionary biology and discussed how he became interested in paleontology as a child in an extensive interview with the Academy of Achievement on June 28, 1991.

“The history of life over three-and-a-half billion years is one of the quintessentially fascinating intellectual questions,” he said. “It’s more than an intellectual question, it relates to so many of the deep issues that are bound to fascinate any curious person, not all of which are answerable by science at all, with questions like, ‘Why are we here on this earth? …’ In that sense paleontology has a great advantage over many fields. It has that intrinsic fascination that will inspire any curious person with a strong interest.”

Additional Interviews With Stephen Jay Gould
Gould was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR’s “Fresh Air” on Nov. 9, 1989. He explained the folly of trying to understand “the history of life in human terms,” saying that we tend to “tell the story of its changes as though it’s all meant to validate the eventual appearance of human intelligence on the planet. In fact … we’re a tiny little twig, an afterthought. Nature was not made for us.”

Gould appeared on “Charlie Rose” four times from 1996 to 2000 to discuss his books and articles in Natural History Magazine.

Gould was interviewed by the American Institute of Biological Sciences after delivering a presentation at the AIBS Challenges for the New Millennium conference in March 2000.

To learn more about Stephen Jay Gould, visit his profile on findingDulcinea.