Science and Organic Evolution

[PROFDHW at AOL.COM]

I don't think we will ever overcome our natural (meaning not out of the
ordinary or unexpected) tendency to hate and kill one another until we fully
understand the Pleistocene context in which such emotions (or emotional
nuances) as rage, fear, and xenophobia have been selected and consider the
irrelevance of such contexts in the atomic age. Not until we all realize that
we must rise above a genetic imperative can we begin to conquer these
currently inappropriate responses. We can't even go to this intellectual
place without the theory of evolution by natural selection. In my mind, this
approach could certainly be no less successful than religion that seems to
encourage xenophobia. The evolutionary proposition (i.e., science), at least,
advocates a unified approach.

Is this a potentially useful prediction? That human behavior evolved in a
context almost totally alien to the one which we have since created? That to
achieve great things we must overcome our behavior, not because we have
disappointed a creator but because life is TRULY meaningless unless we can
make it work for US...   here and now?

We are apes with suits on and the sooner we accept it the sooner we can come
to a meaningful engagement with existence.

"Whatever additional factors may be added to natural selection--and Darwin
himself fully admitted that there might be others--the theory of an evolution
process in the formation of the universe and of animated nature is
established, and the old theory of direct creation is gone forever. In place
of it science has given us conceptions far more noble, and *opened the way to
an argument for design infinitely more beautiful than any ever developed by
theology."*   Andrew Dickson White, in 'The Warfare of Science With
Theology'. *Emphasis mine.*

<A
HREF="http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/andrew_white/Andrew_White.htm

l#Intro">The Warfare of Science With Theology</A>

If the link doesn't work try the cut & paste method. You might have to clean
up the wrap.
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/andrew_white/Andrew_White.html#Intr
o

Dave Williams

In a message dated 02/11/12 1:01:12 AM, LISTSERV at USOBI.ORG writes:

>but if the 'science' of evolution is simply its status as a
>non-supernatural explanation (at least that's my inference from the
>argument presented by Dave Williams), there seems to be little for
>evolution to offer as a scientific research program


Dave Williams
Science Department
Valencia Community College, East Campus
701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail
Orlando, FL  32825
407-299-5000 x2443
profdhw at aol.com