What is evolution's greatest challenge?
- Shadowfax
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
The theory of evolution says nothing about and has nothing to do with biogenesis, it isn't a theory of how life came to be but of what happens once it's here.
Someone mentioned 'intelligence' as a trait that hadn't been copied ... I'd beg to differ and would suggest they take a look at many many other animals that not only clearly show high intelligence but also a greater degree of 'fit' with their place in their ecosystem.
It isn't intelligence that distinguishes humans from other animals ... we have some of the stupidest examples of life forms that would still be able to continue to exist ... 50% of the worlds population is of average or below intelligence, we could kill off everyone above average and we'd still survive.
The point I'm making here is that 'intelligence' is not the problem with humans (if indeed we have a problem).
Throughout the existence of the planet earth organism have arisen who's behaviour has resulted in their extinction ... we should be grateful as we would not be here if it wasn't for such creatures. Furthermore, we shouldn't think of ourselves as being an end point ... we are just one of many creatures. Perhaps our gene pool has enough adaptability to survive coming environmental changes, perhaps it doesn't ... I strongly believe that if our 'attributes' are really any good most of them will resurface eventually. The sun is going to explode in 10 billion years, so that is more than enough time for a more adapted version to evolve.
The dinosaurs extinction is totally explained by evolution, evolution however cannot explain (a) Massive volcanic eruptions nor (b) Meteor strikes as such things are in the realm of geophysics etc.
However, without these we could talk about, the evolution of successful predators, massive over grazing, the evolution of angiosperms, the daily food requirements of such large creatures and so on ... it's not really difficult to understand why there are very few large animals in existence today. We might even say that size is not a successful evolutionary trait.
Something that we'll come to realise when it becomes all too apparent that for successful long term space travel (and ultimately the continuation of the species) the smaller you are the better.
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
Or what about: DNA is an instruction manual for how to build a very sophisticated, self-replicating machine - a cell. According to evolution, no intelligence at all is required to write such a complex instruction manual. Is such reasoninging even science?
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
The greatest mystery evolution holds for me is at the very beginning. How did the very first single cell organism come to be? Evolution hasn't explained that. It's able to explain how the first single celled organism is able to evolve into a human, but not how that cell was able to evolve from non living atoms of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑September 25th, 2013, 7:39 pm
Maybe another way of looking at it is what's the greatest mystery that evolution holds for you?
- Count Lucanor
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
You're mixing two different scientific problems here. The theory of evolution explains the development of different life forms from previous life forms. The origin of life refers to abiogenesis, the development of life from non-living forms.Palumboism wrote: ↑July 20th, 2020, 6:21 pmThe greatest mystery evolution holds for me is at the very beginning. How did the very first single cell organism come to be? Evolution hasn't explained that. It's able to explain how the first single celled organism is able to evolve into a human, but not how that cell was able to evolve from non living atoms of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑September 25th, 2013, 7:39 pm
Maybe another way of looking at it is what's the greatest mystery that evolution holds for you?
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Re: What is evolution's greatest challenge?
2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
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Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
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