05 JAN 2012 by ideonexus

 Evolution Does Not Drive Us Toward Intelligence

We fondly imagine that evolution drives toward higher intelligence. But eagles would think evolution favored flight, elephants would naturally prefer the importance of great strength. Sharks would feel that swimming was the ultimate desirable trait, and eminent Victorians would be quite convinced that evolution preferred Victorians.
Folksonomies: evolution progress
Folksonomies: evolution progress
  1  notes

Anymore than it drives us to flight, swimming, strength, or Victorian culture. A quote from Gregory (Albert) Benford.

18 MAY 2011 by ideonexus

 Ann Druyan on the Humility of Science

I think that science tolerates the unknown in a way that religion doesn't. My argument is not with people who search for god. My argument is with people who feel that our understanding of god is completed. And those are the people who make so much of our existence on this planet such a hell, because they really think that they have the right to kill other people, to hurt them, because of what they understand god's will to be. That's a very destructive thing. So science... Science is--the who...
  1  notes

Arguing that the ability of science to admit what it doesn't know and adapt it thinking to new evidence demonstrates the greatest humility.