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| Dawkins: It's all in the genes |
| 2006-03-14 |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Natural selection is simply a culling of those who do not successfully adapt to adversity. It can be a culling by almost anything: warfare, climate change, wildlife migration changes, unsuccessful genes, or even a crop fungus. Pure luck, too. While luck will, over time, cancel out, there's no doubt that bad luck has culled some pretty good adaptations and good luck has let some poor ones survive. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-03-14 19:52 |
| #4 IMHO The Selfish Gene is the best scientific book written in modern times, and his other books are seriously good, but TW is right. He's a pompous ass. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-03-14 15:39 |
| #3 from Hogan's Heroes to Family Feud to Geneticist! Whoda thunk it? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-03-14 15:28 |
| #2 I believe you mean "Dawkins", tw. Mr. Dawkins' blather would bore Mr. Darwin. Mr. Dawkins drones on about natural selection as though it is some all-powerful personna like The Grim Reaper, on a mission set in a genetic blueprint. Nonsense. Natural selection is simply a culling of those who do not successfully adapt to adversity. It can be a culling by almost anything: warfare, climate change, wildlife migration changes, unsuccessful genes, or even a crop fungus. Evolution is simply mutation that is favorable enough to survive natural selection. Successful genes are merely the detailed blueprints of those who who survived. They may not have survived by genes but rather by favorable circumstance. Too many people attempt to anthropomorphize the whole process, Mr. Dawkins included. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-03-14 14:59 |
| #1 No it isn't. It's partly about the genes. Competition takes place at two levels: genes and individual. Both result in the evolving or extinction of species. Mr. Darwin is a very bright man, perhaps even a genious in his chosen field, but outside that he is very much a rude and self-centered ass. And his contribution to his field is very useful, but not the kind of world-changing event he fancies. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-14 14:18 |