Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is one of the most remarkable books ever written. It explained, for the first time and in plain English, the theory of evolution.
In doing so, it shined a light on biology and the natural sciences, which laid the groundwork for many of the great discoveries of the twentieth century.
More than that, it provided a metaphor for many other systems in the world around us. We talk about people, marketing, and ideas evolving in the same way species do.
However, Darwin got one thing wrong in On the Origin of Species, which has an important implication on how you think about evolution as a metaphor for how to change your life.
He believed species evolved gradually and linearly. However, research conducted after the book’s publication showed that evolution happens through long periods of stasis where there is very little change going on, punctuated by periods of rapid growth.
What is Punctuated Equilibrium?
This phenomenon, called punctuated equilibrium, is the way that most natural systems evolve. Understanding punctuated equilibrium is essential to understanding how to change your life.
The left image is a gradual, linear view of Darwin’s theory of evolution where species emerge gradually and consistently over time. The right image is a “punctuated equilibrium” view of evolution where there are long periods of very little change and short periods of “explosions” with huge amounts of evolutionary activity.
The Cambrian Explosion and Punctuated Equilibrium
The Cambrian explosion is the most well-known example of the rapid growth stage of punctuated equilibrium in evolutionary history.
Over a period of only 20 million years (a short period in evolutionary time representing only 0.5 percent of Earth’s 4-billion-year evolutionary history), almost all present animal classes appeared.
Before the Cambrian explosion, most organisms were simple, composed of individual cells. By the end of that time period, the world was populated by a huge variety of complex organisms.
During the explosion, the rate of diversification accelerated by 10x, an order of magnitude.
Punctuated equilibrium changed the way biologists and scientists thought about evolution. It should also change how we think about areas where we use evolution as a metaphor for how to change our lives and our personal growth.
Most people have a gradual view of life changes. We think they happen at a constant and consistent rate.
When we hear someone’s life story, like in an interview, it sounds gradual, linear, and consistent:
First, I got this great job.
Then, I started this great company.
Now, I sold it to another company.
It sounds like a straight line heading up and to the right, just the way Darwin imagined evolution.
However, what they’re really doing is just connecting the dots of the high points.