Re: Evolutionary compassion


"Brian VanPelt" <brvanpelt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fbardq$ffl$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:10:45 -0400 (EDT), "John W Edser"
<edser@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Would an ant care for an elephant? Or is that just too silly to
comprehend?

What, exactly, is possible or impossible from an evolutionary
standpoint? Or is this question even possible to try to answer? How
stupid of a question is it?

"What Is" is infinite, but *not to the extent* that it "allows" an ant (i.e.
what we mean by ant) to care for an elephant (i.e. what we mean by an
elephant).

Though it can appear silly on the surface, your question can also be seen as
a sharp and clever tool for highlighting an effectively psychobiological
truth (- this particular evolutionary psychobiological type thinking about /
and aspect of / What Is going on).


The irony is that in math, we often talk about infinity, but our math
is quite limited to a few things. Nature is more infinite than we
might think and I believe we are kidding ourselves into thinking we
might have a handle on any reasonable view of how things really are.

Might you be mistaken in thinking that math-people are more arrogant than
others?
:-)

So, I can't seem to figure out why we math people are so egotistical
when we only have a handle on such a small portion of the world.

Mathematics/mahtematicians have earned you the right to be proud (than you
appear to be) of this kind of prowess. Maths is a marvelous method for
evaluating the meaning (i.e. the quantitative aspects of patterning
principles) behind similarities and differences that we can consistently
measure, corroborate, and correlate.

However, e.g., a strictly rational (i.e. mathematical) analysis of "What Is
going on" does not help one to see that the most rational (and 'most
ultimate possible' - it seems to me) explanation for us having evolved [~
that we with a great degree of graduality 'popped out of' the "Evolutionary
Pattering (or pressure) Totality") to exist (in the variety of ways that we
*do* exist in), requires an anthropic principled interpretation of "the
antics" of an appropriately infinite multiverse.

Cheers,
Peter
--

P.S.
I happen to have contrived a science-aligned but etymologically pioneering
terminology. It encapsulates (or imposes a "septal" structure to) my
otherwise far too loose [or so 'smeared out' as to be *completely*
impossible to convey - or intercept people with (with a view to fertilize
the odd mind these 'memes of mine' ;>)] evolutionary psychobiology type
perception of - or overview of (and only fairly philanthropically oriented
outlook on) - "What Is, going on".

This 'thus semantically cemented' (or concEPTualized) explanatory
philosophical thinking of mine also happens to have gotten steeped in (or
shaped by) what may be suitably described as SEPTIC humored sem_antics.

It did so including to the effect of producing realistically loose, yet
defining enough, concEPTs (most typically MAD-inspired elastic/pliable tools
for effectively philosophy terminating thought concEPTs).

To be more specific, I am mainly refer to the following acronymic concEPTs:

"Specific/synaptic Hibernation Imploring" [and, if survived, by definition
also *inducing* of "specific/synaptic hibernation" - i.e., a mainly
GABAergic and opioidergic "gating" of neural signals that are potentially
overwhelmingly onerous or, IOW, that would otherwise 'energize' a
*self-defeating* distress or a self-defeating 'flight or fight-type'
response)] Type" predicaments (or ditto stressors/situations/sources of
environmental stimulation);

"Conditioned-in, Unconsciously Remembered, Stressor (specifically 'SHI-type'
such), Effecting Symptoms";

"The Actention Selection Serving System";

"AEVASIVE" (whereof the "..AS.." stands for either "actention system" or
"actention selection"). May be this is the most 'decEPTively imposing' of
all these acronyms even though it is not as distinKtly hard to swallow as
the notion of SHI-type predicaments ;

Lastly "ALQHolism" (the degree of which is something that it is by EPT
definition apt to realistically aspire to maximize and promote).
D.S.


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