Can the Zillo Beast Strike Back?

Introduction and Key Topics

• Leonard Finkelman’s presentation, “Can Zillo Beast Strike Back? Cloning, De-extinction, and the Species Problem”, explores the intersection of biology and philosophy.

• Major themes: Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), Species Essentialism, Natural Selection, and Species Nominalism.

Clones and SCNT

• A clone is any organism genetically identical to another.

• Example: Dolly the sheep (1996) → first successful mammal clone.

• Clones are genetically engineered duplicates, not literal resurrections.

• SCNT process: nucleus from a somatic cell is implanted into an enucleated egg cell.

Embryo Growth and Environment

• SCNT creates an embryo genetically identical to the donor.

• Egg cells must be alive, even if donor DNA comes from a dead organism.

• Embryos require the right environment (usually the womb of the same species) to develop.

• This raises the species problem: how do we categorize organisms when traits vary?

Species Essentialism

• Originates with Aristotle: species defined by unique traits common to all members.

• Under essentialism, mammoth clones would count as mammoths because they share genetic traits.

Natural Selection vs. Essence

• Modern biology rejects essentialism.

• Evolution = change in species over time.

• Natural selection requires variation among organisms.

• Therefore, species cannot have a fixed essence → essentialism is false.

Species Nominalism

• Proposed by Michael Ghiselin.

• Species defined by origins and life stories, not traits.

• Clones are numerically distinct from originals because they have different births.

• Extinction is final: once a species’ life story ends, it cannot be revived.

Species as Individuals

• Both organisms and species are individuals with unique histories.

• Death is part of an organism’s life story; extinction is part of a species’ life story.

• Thus, extinct species stay extinct by definition.

New Essentialists

• Philosophers Hilary Putnam and Saul Kripke argue essentialism can be compatible with evolution if species essences are defined beyond traits (extrinsic essences).

• This view is controversial and not widely accepted by biologists.

Human Evolution and Culture

• The presentation ends by reflecting on human progress.

• It argues that many cultures have not advanced beyond predecessors, and some have regressed in areas like social justice, care for the weak, and environmental stewardship.

Finkleman - Philosophical Goal of De-Extinction

• Science asks if cloning extinct organisms is possible.

• Philosophy asks if cloning truly reawakens extinct species.

LF - Practical Realities of Cloning

• Clones (like Boba Fett in Star Wars) are genetically engineered duplicates.

• SCNT requires living eggs; genetic material from extinct carcasses alone is insufficient.

LF - The Species Problem

• Even with agreed data, biologists debate whether differences amount to different species.

• Categorization remains philosophically unsettled.

LF - Natural Selection vs. Essentialism

• Variability is fundamental to species.

• Essentialism fails because no single trait is shared by all members.

• Natural selection depends on differences, not fixed essences.

LF - Resurrection vs. Cloning

• Cloning does not resurrect → clones are numerically distinct individuals.

• Resurrection would mean the same individual returns, which is science fiction, not biology.

LF - Extinction as a Life Story

• Species are individuals with unique origins and endings.

• Once extinct, a species’ life story is complete → extinction is final.

LF - New Essentialists

• Some argue species essences can be defined extrinsically, making essentialism compatible with evolution.

• This idea remains philosophically possible but biologically unconvincing.