Philosophy Now Forum

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:43 am Can you name all the factors that promote human evolution? Why do we evolve in certain ways (the most prominent seems to be the brain)?

Evolution only works if it is being resisted. If antibiotics resist the continuation of bacteria, evolution will cause the bacteria to develop immunity the antibiotics. Same with herbicides and weeds. If I pull weeds from my lawn thinking I am artificially selecting for grass instead of weeds, actually I'm selecting for weeds that grow back from a bit of root leftover which makes them even harder to exterminate. What's ominous is knowing that the more we fight nature, the stronger we make it.

If life had no resistance upon it, then I would describe that as devolution which makes prosperity self-limiting.

Here's another thing. I agree that evolution is slow. Yet it seems many changes have happened with humans in a short period of time.

Didn't one twin spend a year in space and have something like 5% of his dna change when compared to the twin who remained on earth?

The future of our species will be cultural change so that we all understand each other better. I'm not saying that this will come about easily and without suffering. There will be more wars.

Communications are such that , as long as we can keep them free from restrictions by reactionaries and oppressors, we will all understand each other better and will tolerate other cultures and other ethnicities. There are powerful forces at work to restrict our freedom of mind, and we are mostly aware of who those malevolent people are.

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 3:12 am Many possibilities exist (some might think extinction as a possibility).

So what is that next step? When will it happen? Is it happening now?

PhilX

As I understand it, animal Man born of woman has reached the highest level of mechanical evolution. Man unlike other animal life on earth has the potential for the transition from mechanical evolution into the beginnings of conscious evolution. Jesus described the point of transition from one quality of being into another.

Matthew 11:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Nick_A wrote: ↑Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:56 pm

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 3:12 am Many possibilities exist (some might think extinction as a possibility).

So what is that next step? When will it happen? Is it happening now?

PhilX

As I understand it, animal Man born of woman has reached the highest level of mechanical evolution. Man unlike other animal life on earth has the potential for the transition from mechanical evolution into the beginnings of conscious evolution. Jesus described the point of transition from one quality of being into another.

Matthew 11:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

This Bible passage has no science content.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:30 am

Nick_A wrote: ↑Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:56 pm

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 3:12 am Many possibilities exist (some might think extinction as a possibility).

So what is that next step? When will it happen? Is it happening now?

PhilX

As I understand it, animal Man born of woman has reached the highest level of mechanical evolution. Man unlike other animal life on earth has the potential for the transition from mechanical evolution into the beginnings of conscious evolution. Jesus described the point of transition from one quality of being into another.

Matthew 11:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

This Bible passage has no science content.

PhilX

True, but what kind of scientific test do you recommend to either verify or refute the transition between mechanical and conscious evolution?

Nick_A wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:08 am

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:30 am

Nick_A wrote: ↑Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:56 pm

As I understand it, animal Man born of woman has reached the highest level of mechanical evolution. Man unlike other animal life on earth has the potential for the transition from mechanical evolution into the beginnings of conscious evolution. Jesus described the point of transition from one quality of being into another.

Matthew 11:11 New International Version (NIV)

This Bible passage has no science content.

PhilX

True, but what kind of scientific test do you recommend to either verify or refute the transition between mechanical and conscious evolution?

Consciousness is not something that science can measure and it's personal, can't be independently verified so I don't think a test exists.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:16 am

Nick_A wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:08 am

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:30 am

This Bible passage has no science content.

PhilX

True, but what kind of scientific test do you recommend to either verify or refute the transition between mechanical and conscious evolution?

Consciousness is not something that science can measure and it's personal, can't be independently verified so I don't think a test exists.

PhilX

So "This Bible passage has no science content." is a meaningless comment. A person can only verify the beginnings of the conscious transition through a personal conscious experience.

Nick_A wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:22 am

Philosophy Explorer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:16 am

Nick_A wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:08 am

True, but what kind of scientific test do you recommend to either verify or refute the transition between mechanical and conscious evolution?

Consciousness is not something that science can measure and it's personal, can't be independently verified so I don't think a test exists.

PhilX

So "This Bible passage has no science content." is a meaningless comment. A person can only verify the beginnings of the conscious transition through a personal conscious experience.

I would think so.

PhilX

Probably no next step. Humanity seems to be fulfilling its role right now so it's all downhill from here, eventually we will have artificial pandemics and mushroom clouds, and other yet to be invented stuff. Or maybe not, we can always hope for the improbable.

Atla wrote: ↑Thu May 03, 2018 2:34 pm Probably no next step. Humanity seems to be fulfilling its role right now so it's all downhill from here, eventually we will have artificial pandemics and mushroom clouds, and other yet to be invented stuff. Or maybe not, we can always hope for the improbable.

Speciation. Just as a truly wild animal species in its ages- old environment is not going to evolve any more, so we are not going to evolve any more? But there is a major difference between us and other wild animals. We evolve by learning from experience, i.e. via cultures, whereas other wild animals evolve genetically.