Perhaps it’s just the case that the process of moral reflection tends to cause convergence among minds from a range of starting points, via something like social logic plus shared evolutionary underpinnings.
Yes. And there are many cases where evolution has indeed converged on solutions to other problems[1].
(Copy-pasted from Claude 3 Opus. They pass my eyeball fact-check.)
Wings: Birds, bats, and insects have all independently evolved wings for flight, despite having very different ancestry.
Eyes: Complex camera-like eyes have evolved independently in vertebrates (like humans) and cephalopods (like octopuses and squids).
Echolocation: Both bats and toothed whales (like dolphins) have evolved the ability to use echolocation for navigation and hunting, despite being unrelated mammals.
Venomous spines: Both porcupines (mammals) and hedgehogs (also mammals, but not closely related to porcupines) have evolved sharp, defensive spines.
Fins: Sharks (cartilaginous fish) and dolphins (mammals) have independently evolved similar fin shapes and placement for efficient swimming.
Succulence: Cacti (native to the Americas) and euphorbs (native to Africa) have independently evolved similar water-storing, fleshy stems to adapt to arid environments.
Flippers: Penguins (birds), seals, and sea lions (mammals) have all evolved flipper-like limbs for swimming, despite having different ancestries.
Ant-eating adaptations: Anteaters (mammals), pangolins (mammals), and numbats (marsupials) have independently evolved long snouts, sticky tongues, and strong claws for eating ants and termites.
Yes. And there are many cases where evolution has indeed converged on solutions to other problems[1].
Some examples:
(Copy-pasted from Claude 3 Opus. They pass my eyeball fact-check.)
Wings: Birds, bats, and insects have all independently evolved wings for flight, despite having very different ancestry.
Eyes: Complex camera-like eyes have evolved independently in vertebrates (like humans) and cephalopods (like octopuses and squids).
Echolocation: Both bats and toothed whales (like dolphins) have evolved the ability to use echolocation for navigation and hunting, despite being unrelated mammals.
Venomous spines: Both porcupines (mammals) and hedgehogs (also mammals, but not closely related to porcupines) have evolved sharp, defensive spines.
Fins: Sharks (cartilaginous fish) and dolphins (mammals) have independently evolved similar fin shapes and placement for efficient swimming.
Succulence: Cacti (native to the Americas) and euphorbs (native to Africa) have independently evolved similar water-storing, fleshy stems to adapt to arid environments.
Flippers: Penguins (birds), seals, and sea lions (mammals) have all evolved flipper-like limbs for swimming, despite having different ancestries.
Ant-eating adaptations: Anteaters (mammals), pangolins (mammals), and numbats (marsupials) have independently evolved long snouts, sticky tongues, and strong claws for eating ants and termites.