Support of evolution?

[GPett]

People these days have trouble seeing evidence of evolution.

I say that we humans are evolving.

Primitive animals such as insects use bodily movements and pheramones to communicate. More evolved primates use vocalisations. We humans use vocalisations for our basic communication. Now, humans are using digital and text medium for a large part of their communication. Now we use technology such as chat, email, bulletin boars, and cellular phones to communicate.

Symbols, text, and digital translations of those symbols that have meaning, is it another evolutionary step for humankind?

I think so.

 

[KLin]

We're evolving into lazy slobs texting on our cell phones. :thumbsup:

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: KLin
We're evolving into lazy slobs texting on our cell phones. :thumbsup:

OMG u r so right!

 

[knivox]

learned behavior =! evolution

 

[sandorski]

Social Evolution, but not Biological Evolution. Marshall MacLuhen's(sp) "the Medium is the Message" needs to be thrown into this discussion.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Social Evolution, but not Biological Evolution. Marshall MacLuhen's(sp) "the Medium is the Message" needs to be thrown into this discussion.

Its pretty much the same principle between both though.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: sandorski
Social Evolution, but not Biological Evolution. Marshall MacLuhen's(sp) "the Medium is the Message" needs to be thrown into this discussion.

Its pretty much the same principle between both though.

Same Principle, but not same thing.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: sandorski
Social Evolution, but not Biological Evolution. Marshall MacLuhen's(sp) "the Medium is the Message" needs to be thrown into this discussion.

Its pretty much the same principle between both though.

Same Principle, but not same thing.

Bingo.

Social Behavior though is a part of biological evolution. Why do you think some animals evolve and form social groups? For survival. Some animals do not because social groups give too much competition for mating and food, but animals that have evolved social behaviors past competition do it for evolutionary reasons.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Technological advancement isn't evolution.

 

[Aikouka]

Trying to justify that I came from a monkey because now instead of mail, I send e-mail?

Now I've heard it all .

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: sandorski
Social Evolution, but not Biological Evolution. Marshall MacLuhen's(sp) "the Medium is the Message" needs to be thrown into this discussion.

Its pretty much the same principle between both though.

No it's not. Biological evolution is based on natural selection. It's not some magical advancement. Ben eficial traits get based on to offspring, because they are beneficial to creating offspring.

 

[Alphathree33]

OP has no idea what evolution is. Please, the issue is already confused enough -- don't add to it with your own ignorance. "A little bit of knowledge is dangerous."

We have roughly the same brains as we did 100 years ago when we lacked all of this technology.

Of course, we did evolve these complex brains over thousands of years... and THAT was evolution. But the evolution is the brains themselves, not the technology that we were EVENTUALLY able to produce. That was the result of socio-economic changes.

So why did we develop this brains then? Why does the ability to produce art and do science make a given individual fare better in terms of natural selection?

IANAB (I am not a biologist), but I've heard theories ranging from improved ability to attract mates (bigger brain = more ways to impress the females), and improved ability to build weapons, set traps, farm, and otherwise stay alive.

So people with bigger brains were more likely to pass on their genes. And now, over thousands of years, we were able to use those brains to produce technology. But the technology is not the "evolution".

All of that said, I do appreciate the philosophical point that we have essentially maximized our own evolution and are now building new creatures to "continue" the evolution in a new sense that HAS NOTHING TO DO with evolution in the strict biological sense.

I suppose you could call our technology part of our extended phenotype... that's what Dawkins would say, anyway.

 

[intogamer]

We don't' evolve... we evolve ourselves.