Evolution

Speaking as a biologist to be (by the end of the next semester) I can provide a professional (almost) point of view.
The simplest way to define evolution is as: heritage with change (meaning is that the offspring is slightly different from the parents), if the change persists in time (is present in the next generation) evolution has occurred!
Evolution is a mindless process, the changes (mutations) happen by chance, but remain on purpose.
The evolution does not always lead to the survival of the fittest, sometimes it actually does the opposite thing.

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Originally Posted by GreenDog

Evolution is a mindless process.

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This is the part where I have trouble believing. Or rather, a part I still question. The use of tools. We have been told that is an evolutionary effect. In hindsight. We've studied it with Homo Habilis. We can see it with present species like sea otters. This is a learned trait. At some point, one solitary sea otter, or one single Homo had to have picked up a tool and used it for the first time. Those intial events, that put in to place, an on-going evolutionary change (because the effects of evolution are not seen until thousands of years, per say) -- that is what I find interesting.

Who is to say, those events do not happen around us every day? Does anyone have any examples or experiences with studying evolutionary change?

If using a tool causes a permanent physical change which is hereditary, such as opposable thumb, then it would count as an evolution... I think, very humbly.

Originally Posted by GreenDog
Evolution is a mindless process.

But itisn't purposeless. Read Richard Dawkins on this, he makes it very clear that there is a definite direction in evolution.

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Originally Posted by atiguhya padma

Originally Posted by GreenDog
Evolution is a mindless process.

But itisn't purposeless. Read Richard Dawkins on this, he makes it very clear that there is a definite direction in evolution.

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Has GreenDog said that evolution is purposeless?

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Originally Posted by GreenDog

Evolution is a mindless process, the changes (mutations) happen by chance, but remain on purpose.

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And about that "go read Some Author" thingy - isn't it logical that evolution has a direction? Why must I read somebody of whom I have never heard of to understand a concept that is practically a thing that any fool could understand?

It's very logical in our opinion. There have a certain enviroment and species that do are not very well inured to the enviroment. In the next generation, because of mutation, there is quite a range of creatures with slightly different abilities. Some of those abilities are negative in that enviroment (but it is extremely relative, in another enviroment they could be very good) some are neutral and a few are good. The "negatives" have a bigger chance of dying and therefore having no successors than the "positives". So there is a slight adaptation towards that niche. And in manymany generations the specie has changed so much that the adaptation is noticable.

We hope that our bad english didn't get on the way of our point.

I am surprised you have never heard of Richard Dawkins Taliesin. Any fool has heard of Richard Dawkins. Have you heard of Charles Darwin by any chance? Or do you not need to read an author that writes on what any fool could understand?

Hmmmm...... Darwin? Is he a basketball player by any chance? :banana:

Dawkins? The only thing I have heard of him is the thing that if you find a broken watch, it proves the existence of a blind watchmaker or something.

Ah, We are very sorry for expressing ourself so. We just extremely dislike when someone says: Go read this book/author, this will explain everything." without saying anything about it, with no short "synopsis", especially if the fact one wants to prove is as logical as one of the basics of evolution, and therefore our agressive answer. (How would you feel is someone said: two times two equals four, go read your basic school maths book on this, it makes very clear why it is so?)

Our point would be: would you care of sharing more information of Dawkins's work, like why it is so special and what great ideas has he had?

Yeah I'll share a little more information: go read The Selfish Gene. (The Blind Watchmaker, didn't that have something to do with William Paley?)

You really are evil, do you know it?

But your evil plan was ruined by two components:
a) Google
b)We have read the book, only we didn't remember the author of it.

Mwahahahahaa. :banana:

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Originally Posted by atiguhya padma

I am surprised you have never heard of Richard Dawkins Taliesin. Any fool has heard of Richard Dawkins. Have you heard of Charles Darwin by any chance? Or do you not need to read an author that writes on what any fool could understand?

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OK, if we haven't heard of Richard Dawkins, which category do we fall into? Sub-fool?? I will need to go and get a membership there...

Also, can I get a list of the authors that writes on what any fool could understand? :rolleyes:

I have tried to reply fot an hour, but the computer keeps getting stuck!
In this battle I have lost, I surrender.

GreenDog>Why dont you type your message in Word and then paste here? It sometimes helps...

I give up too. This was an interesting topic ...

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Originally Posted by GreenDog

I have tried to reply fot an hour, but the computer keeps getting stuck!
In this battle I have lost, I surrender.

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Originally Posted by Scheherazade

OK, if we haven't heard of Richard Dawkins, which category do we fall into? Sub-fool?? I will need to go and get a membership there...

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Hey Scher maybe we could get a group discount?

Hey, that works for me...

*ponders trying not to hurt her lil' old brainy*

You think they would give shiny badges as well?? "Fool for life"??

Me likes badges...