Re: Frankfurt School (Re: What does an evolutionist actually believe?)


"Aardvark J. Bandersnatch, MP, LP, BLT, ETC." <aardvark@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:FqN5f.445523$x96.72103@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Sylvia Knörr" <sylvia.knoerr_NoSpam_@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:dj15m9$tmn$04$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > "Aardvark J. Bandersnatch, MP, LP, BLT, ETC." <aardvark@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:Jui4f.441791$_o.40213@xxxxxxxxxxxx

> > I suppose the ability to adapt to new information itself is a product of
> > selection and was mainly formed at times when humans were nomadic
> > hunter-gatherers. Sudden and dramatic change of the surrounding rarely
> > happened back then, so it was safe for the people to stick to their
prior
> > experience.
> > Today we live in fast changing world which permanently showers us with
> > informations, but biologically spoken we are still not ready for that.

> Well, it seems fairly clear that inductive-empirical reasoning is a
> necessary trait for hunter-gather kinds of peoples. If you aren't careful
> about coming to the correct conclusion based upon observed information,
you
> could very easily wind up as a luncheon snack for some hungry beastie. On
> the other hand, in a survival, tribal culture, with a low population base,
> changing anything too suddenly could lead to loss of too many lives for
> sustainability. Therefore, humans, like cats and some other creatures,
tend
> not to want to change rapidly-- it's built into us from several millions
of
> years of living at the raggedy edge of sustainability.

Since humans are social animals we could only be successful by having a
rather exact idea about what we can expect not only from our physical
surrounding, but even more from every member of our tribe (family, clan
etc), because all this would have an impact on our life. Our brains
developed the ability to build a map about our surrounding, our fellow
humans and - more important - our very own ATTITUDE towards everyone, in
short: an opinion!
Our opinion is pure brain economy: we don't have to define our attitude
every time we meet someone, we can use our inbuilt template. That is my
explanation why we are reluctant to change our opinions.

> > Although I tend to prefer a more community-oriented social life, the
> > American individualism might be the adequate adaption to a highly
> > technisized surrounding. At least it has (through high competitiveness)
> > lifted the American people to the highest level of wealth and
> > opportunities.

> American individualism seems to have been primarily a response to the
early
> frontier, primitive conditions. Or at least, that's how it seems to me. It
> seems to be the ultimate expression of classic liberalism, but methinks it
> has gone a bit too far.

It seems to be in an experimental state since we have no experience with a
society of individuals with rather thin social bonds and high personal
freedom. But I trust in democracy as a tool to keep the society together.

> > We Europeans probably get a somewhat unrealistic picture of America
> > because
> > the media convey the din of the fringes more than the moderate voices of
> > the center. It's good to know what's really going on.

> It's not only the European media that gives only the din at the fringes
> (nice phrase, BTW), but also the American media. It feeds the public the
> idea that these are the ONLY lines of thought to follow, and it thus
> excludes reasoned debate toward the center.

This is why I put a lot of hope in the internet. With internet access,
people from everywhere get into dialogues and are exposed to various
informations, ideas and opinions. Though not every single man or woman
participates in forums, newsgroups or other data avenues, the ones who do
(like you and me for instance) will spread what they perceive there. This
will have a countervailing effect on the extreme fringes.





.

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