Consider: human brain is a product of human evolution Consciousness is a product of our brains. Therefore conciousness is a trait. Therfore our actions and behaviors and technologies and all the changes we have brought about are a trait (many species build homes, wash food, and otherwise utilize technologies to improve their living conditions and therefore their survival). The trait that allows fo cooperative behaviour, utilization of tools, the building of structures, the formation of language, the tendency to render concretes into abstracts, etc etc etc are, since they have made us the dominant form of life with the exception of a few virii and bacteria, are by definition competitive traits. Nature has no blueprint by which is has preordained the shapes and behaviors that life comes up with to compete, there is no cheating or illegal behavior. We won, simple as that, and the only real problems we have right now are the fact that some of what we used to win is hurting us too. We will deal with that.
Social behavior is as well a trait, and certain social activities are more likely to tend towards survival and reproduction. Also, you must realize that if a "athlete" or "model" is stupid they are more likely to engage in behavior that destroys their genes, statistically. The ODs and car wrecks and fast living catches up with a lot of them. And if they are smart, and pretty, and popular, etc then they are more likely to reproduce, which is as it should be (since that is how it is).
Once must also consider that, since we are social organisms, our social ideas, systems of thought and beliefs, aesthetics, pretty much all of it, are undergoing selection through us, through our interaction. Some people call these memes, though I don't understand why the word "memes" is better than "ideas". Ideas like "the world is flat" and "there are fairies" have for the most part died out, while the ideas "2+2=4" and "if I cook the food first I don't get sick and die nearly so much" are very popular. Thus, also, do worldviews change and compete, with "the King is the land and all must serve the king" falling sharply behind "I got mine, Jack!" in the latest polls.
Evolution need not necessarily be strictly biological...our social behavior begins as biological and becomes (for lack of a better word) psychic, as in pertaining to the psyche. We find that our social behavior and our ability to change our environment and use tools is what has made us competitive.
We are a part of nature, as is everything we do and create.
Slashdot Mirror
See, things like this are why I am just not that impressed with science...
"that use words the way insects use pheromones"
Nice!
Consider: human brain is a product of human evolution
Consciousness is a product of our brains. Therefore conciousness is a trait. Therfore our actions and behaviors and technologies and all the changes we have brought about are a trait (many species build homes, wash food, and otherwise utilize technologies to improve their living conditions and therefore their survival). The trait that allows fo cooperative behaviour, utilization of tools, the building of structures, the formation of language, the tendency to render concretes into abstracts, etc etc etc are, since they have made us the dominant form of life with the exception of a few virii and bacteria, are by definition competitive traits. Nature has no blueprint by which is has preordained the shapes and behaviors that life comes up with to compete, there is no cheating or illegal behavior. We won, simple as that, and the only real problems we have right now are the fact that some of what we used to win is hurting us too. We will deal with that.
Social behavior is as well a trait, and certain social activities are more likely to tend towards survival and reproduction. Also, you must realize that if a "athlete" or "model" is stupid they are more likely to engage in behavior that destroys their genes, statistically. The ODs and car wrecks and fast living catches up with a lot of them. And if they are smart, and pretty, and popular, etc then they are more likely to reproduce, which is as it should be (since that is how it is).
Once must also consider that, since we are social organisms, our social ideas, systems of thought and beliefs, aesthetics, pretty much all of it, are undergoing selection through us, through our interaction. Some people call these memes, though I don't understand why the word "memes" is better than "ideas". Ideas like "the world is flat" and "there are fairies" have for the most part died out, while the ideas "2+2=4" and "if I cook the food first I don't get sick and die nearly so much" are very popular. Thus, also, do worldviews change and compete, with "the King is the land and all must serve the king" falling sharply behind "I got mine, Jack!" in the latest polls.
Evolution need not necessarily be strictly biological...our social behavior begins as biological and becomes (for lack of a better word) psychic, as in pertaining to the psyche. We find that our social behavior and our ability to change our environment and use tools is what has made us competitive.
We are a part of nature, as is everything we do and create.
site's already dead...slashdotted. :(