Re: Evolution on earth: directional and progressive?


"Perplexed in Peoria" <jimmenegay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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"Anthony Cerrato" <tcerrato@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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"Tim Tyler" <seemysig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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John wrote:

Now in a similar vaine I want to know who has
formally
established
that "...evolution remembers good ones and discards
bad
ones".

Darwin should probably get credit for this
observation.

From your quote it is clear that you define
Evolution as
some sort of
force with a mind all of its own.

No, no. When I say "evolution remembers" that is
shorthand for
the germ line of organisms with the adaptations in
question wind up
being preserved better than that of those that lacked
them.

I'm not literally treating evolution as some kind of
bearded old man
remembering certain things. That would be silly.

Tim, this exchange prompts me to note another very
important
invention (I would say the _most critically important
one_
which defines the modern human) which has allowed humans
to
advance so exponentially (the icing on the cake which
gives
the illusion that Darwinian Evolution is
progressive/advancing and almost a force in itself.)
That
invention is the ultimate step mutation[s] in
physical/organizational brain evolution which gave us
the
ability to, not just think symbolically, but
specifically to
do so very often by the formation of mental analogies
and
metaphors! This is homo saps. best kept secret in the
animal
world. ...tonyC


Interesting. But the hypothesis that humans are unique in
the capability of thinking by means of metaphors and
analogies
is testable.

You seem to be suggesting that humans can apply analogies
like
thinking about electrical network problems as analogous to
hydraulic network problems, and then apply insights and
intuitions
gained by experience with water flow to new problems
related to
flow of electrons.

But we can test whether lab animals - rats, pigeons, and
monkeys -
have a comparable ability to transfer intuitions from one
situation
to another. Train them in one kind of problem, and see
whether they
can then learn to do another kind of problem better.
Might be an
interesting thing to try.

Indeed. That is exactly the mechanism of thinking that I'm
suggesting, and you are right in that it should be testable
in other animals to some extent. I don't know if such
attempts have been made, or if they have, how extensive such
tests may have been. I was/am just guessing that not much
work in this area has been done (at least, sucessfully) to
date-- I don't recall ever seeing any mention of such, but
I'm only a layperson in the bio-/psych-ology fields.

I think it would be even more fascinating if studies could
be done (via genetic modifications, selective
breeding/teaching, etc.) to attempt to upgrade certain
animal's brains in these symbolic-thought techniques to the
level of humans'. It's possible some species like chimps,
etc, already have the potential but just haven't gotten
around to thinking about how to use them, or why to bother.
:)) ...tonyC


.

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