Re: Darwin, Evolution, the Animal Kingdom, and Man

From: Greg Alexander (galexand_at_ozemail.com.au)
Date: 12/03/04

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    Date: 2 Dec 2004 17:50:02 -0800

    Lester Zick (lesterDELzick@worldnet.att.net) wrote:
    > Directed evolution isn't the issue. The issue I raised merely concerns
    > whether man is categorically different from animals and explanations
    > for those differences.

    Hi Lester (and others) - my first post here.

    An interesting issue with multiple ideas spreading from it, and one
    I'd like to learn more about.

    There are many things which affect whether an individual or tribe
    would breed and survive. Physical strength, fighting, good memory (eg
    where food can be found), communicating (eg teaching others how to
    survive), giving your life to save the tribe, curiosity (about
    multiple sources of water), fear (and knowing multiple routes of
    escape), exploring things for no reason (which later prove
    life-saving).

    All would lead to more success in survival and breeding wouldn't it?

    But it doesn't answer why other animals haven't taken the same path in
    any way that is apparent to us.

    Maybe we survived because some tribes had to find a cause for
    everything - and in being driven always to find causes, reasons, they
    were able somehow to survive better. We create great mental maps of
    our world, we communicate, speculate, all from an earlier survival
    mechanism. Maybe we evolved so that we MUST know why things happen,
    and we're almost hard-wired to believe everything has some reason and
    meaning.

    Perhaps at some time in our evolution, we understood enough to know
    some things didn't seem to have reasons. It could have been a turning
    point in evolution - the NEED to know WHY was blocking us - should it
    be:
    a) abandoned, or do we
    b) create a universal "answer"
    If that was the case, did we create a belief in God (or gods), so we
    could continue asking "Why?" and evolve mentally.

    Other evolving species didn't develop "why" any further, and did
    something different. Maybe some other species did nothing, and had
    their tribe fall apart and died.

    That's a whole lot of guess work and the like! Just one rambling
    thought trail in my head.
    Greg

  • Next message: Greg Alexander: "Re: Is there info on the Web on difference cognitive science graduate/doctoral programs?"

    Relevant Pages

    • Re: Couple questions for evolution experts
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    • Re: Darwin, Evolution, the Animal Kingdom, and Man
      ... >> Directed evolution isn't the issue. ... >> whether man is categorically different from animals and explanations ... >There are many things which affect whether an individual or tribe ... exploring things for no reason (which later prove ...
      (sci.cognitive)
    • Re: *** RED ALERT *** EVIDENCE IN DANGER *** RED ALERT ***
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    • Re: Darwin, Evolution, the Animal Kingdom, and Man
      ... >>Directed evolution isn't the issue. ... > There are many things which affect whether an individual or tribe ... exploring things for no reason (which later prove ... Merely surviving and breeding in a given time in the history of ...
      (sci.cognitive)
    • Re: Honor your father and your mother.
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