08 OCT 2013 by ideonexus
Evolutionary Theory Does Not Justify Greed
Human nature as it now exists was formed in accord with the laws of evolution under conditions pertaining well before recorded human history. Fossils discovered in Ethiopia and Kenya now date human ancestors back at least 5 or 6 million years. Distinctly human species arose in Africa at least 2 million years ago, while present evidence indicates that modern humans are only about 100,000 years old. Therefore the conditions relevant to which genetic mutations were advantageous and which were no... 1 
notes
notesMany economic theories relying on "human nature" assume we are greedy, but this is not supported by the evidence. We might just as likely be generous and that is our evolutionary advantage.
08 JUN 2013 by ideonexus
Science Can Comfort in Times of Stress
Science and religion are often taken to offer competing explanations of the world (Preston & Epley, 2009). That science can be a source of meaning, similar to religion, is not a completely new idea; it has been raised by philosophers (Ziman, 1978/1991) and scientists (Dawkins, 2006) alike. While many have attempted to understand the emotional or social underpinnings of religious belief, the possibility that science might serve similar psychological functions has received less attention. E...
1 Scientific evidence that secular individuals can turn to their belief in science when faced with stressful situations just as the religious turn to their faith.
23 APR 2012 by ideonexus
Consciousness is the Last Mystery
Human consciousness is just about the last surviving mystery. A mystery is a phenomenon that people don't know how to think about—yet. There have been other great mysteries: the mystery of the origin of the universe, the mystery of life and reproduction, the mystery of the design to be found in nature, the mysteries of time, space, and gravity. These were not just areas of scientific ignorance, but of utter bafflement and wonder. We do not yet have the final answers to any of the questions of...Folksonomies: science consciousness
Folksonomies: science consciousness
1 notes
notesNot because we don't understand it, There are lots of things we don't understand, but because we don't even know how to think about it.
13 APR 2012 by ideonexus
Fact, Theory, and Understanding
Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's, but apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from apelike ancestors whether they did s... 1 notes
notesStephen J. Gould on science's evolving understanding of the Truth.
16 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Clarification of the Term "Vestigial"
Opponents of evolution always raise the same argument when vestigial
traits are cited as evidence for evolution. “The features are not
useless,” they say. “They are either useful for something, or we haven’t
yet discovered what they’re for.” They claim, in other words, that a trait
can’t be vestigial if it still has a function, or a function yet to be found.
But this rejoinder misses the point. Evolutionary theory doesn’t say
that vestigial characters have no function. A trait can be vestigi... 1 notes
notesA trait is vestigial not because it no longer serves a purpose, but because it no longer serves its original purpose.
03 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Parasititic Influence on Evolution
Again and again in recent years evolutionary biologists have found themselves returning to the theme of parasites. As Is Richard Dawkins put it in a recent paper: "Eavesdrop [over] morning coffee at any major centre of evolutionary theory today, and you will find 'parasite' to be one of the commonest words in ti the language. Parasites are touted as the prime movers in the evolution of sex. promising a final solution to that problem of problems.'"
Parasites have a deadlier effect than preda... 1 notes
notesParasites are small and numerous, evolving faster than we do and putting incredible evolutionary pressure on the species they plague.
03 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Evolution as a Constant Arms-Race
One of the peculiar features of history is that time always erodes advantage. Every invention sooner or later leads to a counterinvention. Every success contains the seeds of its own overthrow. Every hegemony comes to an end. Evolutionary history is no different. Progress and success are always relative. When the land was unoccupied by animals, the first amphibian to emerge from the sea could get away with being slow, lumbering, and fishlike, for it had no enemies and no competitors. But if a...Folksonomies: evolution red queen hypothesis
Folksonomies: evolution red queen hypothesis
1 notes
notesWhere the players are constantly evolving to stay in one place.
09 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Campbell's Rule of Design Through Evolution
We should think of it like this - evolutionary theory describes how design is created by the competition between replicators. Genes are one example of a replicator and memes another. The general theory of evolution must apply to both of them, but the specific details of how each replicator works may be quite different.
This relationship was clearly seen by the the American psychologist Donald Campbell (1960, 1965) long before the idea of memes was invented. He argued that organic evolution, ...Natural selection doesn't just apply to biological designs, but exists on molecular and memetic levels as well.
09 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
The History of Analogies Between Biological Evolution and...
From the early days of Darwinism analogies have been drawn between biological evolution and the evolution of culture. Darwin's contemporary Herbert Spencer studied the evolution of civilizations, which he viewed as progressing towards an ideal something like that of Victorian English society. Lewis Morgan's evolutionary theory of society included the three stages of savagery, barbarism, and civilization. The historian Arnold Toynbee used evolutionary ideas in identifying over thirty distinct ...Folksonomies: memetics cultural evolution
Folksonomies: memetics cultural evolution
1 notes
notesA brief summary of the history of various intellectuals investigating and hypothesizing on the evolution of societies.
