Hauser Evolution

I found that Hauser's article called "Origin of the Minds" was very interesting because it mentions how the shuman mind works differently than that of the chimpanzee by "degree and not of kind." He states that researchers have noted that cognition in some species are blocked but as for humans we are able to use that in our lives to do several things. Hauser then goes to name four traits that humans can show through out human lineage: (1) generative computation, which then can be sub categorized into two others: recursion and combinatorial, (2) promiscuous combination, (3) mental symbols, and (4) abstract thought. The ones that seemed more interesting and important to me were the use of mental symbols and abstract thought. The use of mental symbols can encode sensory experiences (both real and imaginative) forming the base of a rich and complex system. It then can be expressed to others through words or pictures. We humans use this constantly in language such as poetry and art and music. Now, abstract thought lets us contemplate things beyond what we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell. Unlike animal thoughts, which are largely anchored on sensory and perceptual experience, many of our thoughts have no such connections. We tend to think about whats beyond the universe (imaginative ideas) using words, art and language.We also tend to figure away around difficulties that tend to show up in our way to communicate.

Evolution!

The Evolution readings are also meant to draw a line between humans and every other species. A lot of them have been challenging common ideas we have on humanity. I think we often think that we are an alien species compared to the other animals, like Hauser suggests in “Origins of the Mind”, but the readings have led me to understand that we are earthling animals like the others and are subject to evolution just as much everyone else. At first I thought that this view would be dehumanizing, but I realized it actually might have an opposite effect. I think that if we understood our common human condition- that we have evolved to our current complex form from a common ancestry and we are basically at the whim of this natural law- I think we might understand each other better and realize we are in it together and don’t have to compete??? :^S Although natural selection is based on this competition within a species, I think we, at our current state of consciousness, may find it beneficial to cooperate. I think at this state in our evolution, the regular natural selection is mostly irrelevant, and an evolution in society and consciousness is more probable, which would be better helped by cooperation rather than competition. Jeff F.

Evolution responses

I don't mean to offend anyone who may read this, but I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate for a bit.
Some people have put out posts on the evolution readings that I would like to challenge.
As far as natural selection goes, wouldn't "survival of the fittest" refer to everything and anything that makes it easier for your species to survive? Just because it says "fittest" doesn't mean that it refers to strength or size, it refers to how "fit" you are in a given situation. One mutation could cause a physically strong organism to develop something that makes it more "fit" in social interactions with the opposite gender, thereby making it the "fittest" to survive and pass on genetic material. In short, both strength (or agility, hardiness, etc...) and sexual attraction play equal parts in the scheme of natural selection.
Next, while no one has posted about this yet but I know someone will, a "mutation" is not bad. That word has recieved very bad press in recent years and nowadays we take it as meaning something that makes us a freak or grow a third arm, etc... A mutation is any genetic change, good or bad. Whether or not it halps us survive determines the "good" or "bad" part.
Third, as far as the native american children going to schools and losing awareness of the "natural" world, that is a cultural change and has nothing to do with genetics. Cultures adapt, like genetics, in order to meet new challenges of life, but they are not caused by anything genetic; though it can be argued that a cultural change has brought a genetic change. As a nice little side note, the perception of what is a "freak" is determined by your culture.
Finally, I do not support prolonging life through medical advances in certain situations. For example cancer, mental diseases, brain damage, or certain diseases like down syndrome or most forms of mental retardation. Remember, I don't mean to offend, I just don't think it's a good idea. Allowing our weak, diseased members of the species survive is not an efficient system for survival, even in an urban world. It wastes resources and money keeping people alive when they should by all natural means be dead. People may say "that's not fair," because that person "didn't get a chance to live," but that isn't the way the world works. It isn't fair. It isnt right. It doesn't care if you loved them or hated them. It doesn't care if you "didnt get a chance". Sometimes it doesn't give you a chance to begin with. But we have to move on and accept that thats the way it is, changing it won't necessarily make it better and if we allow the weak and stupid (not necessarily retarded, just stupid) to breed then we will lose what evolutionary progress we have managed to gain.
If anyone would like to discuss any of these issues further, I would be happy to respond.

Ryan Casto

Evolution

The readings on evolution were very interesting to me. It informed the reader of the real meaning of the term evolution. It is not trying to explain the creation of human life. Religion is not a factor. Evolution and Natural Selection were explained in detail to the reader. An example was a type of white moths that lived in a city in New York. The city had many factories that released soot. The white moths were easily spotted amongst the blackened trees. Predators got many of the moths. As time went on, the species of moths turned dark. They were'nt as easily seen. Now the majority of the moths in New York City are dark to better match their surroundings. There was also the difference between microevolution and macroevolution. One is the creation of a new species. The other is a change in the genetics of a species.
Cody H

The Definition of Evolution

When reading the article What is Evolution?, I found myself being a little uninterested. I realized that evolution is the genetic changes that take place within a species over generations, having taken a biology class that taught me that several years ago. I did find one part a bit interesting and worth writing about however, however small it may be. I really liked how the author explains that when a species evolves, that does not mean that it becomes more advanced or better than what it was before the change. The author brings that point up frequently, almost to the point of irritation to the reader, but the point really is an important one. Although it may seem obvious and simple when thinking about it, as Moran went through several “incorrect” definitions of evolution extracted from several different dictionaries, a few even being dictionaries of science, it was made clear this was a crucial piece of the definition to clarify. Evolution is what happens when populations need to adapt to their environment. Those specific adaptations may be completely successful at one point, and completely unsuccessful at another, making the idea that the more species evolve, the better and more specialized they become very inaccurate. Chris Colby I feel explained this much clearer in his Introduction to Evolutionary Biology when he stated, “Evolution is not progress.” Although I am a firm believer that the definition of evolution is not yet perfect, since it has been constantly revised over several years, I do believe this is a large and significant part that must not be overlooked.

WhitneyS

Evolution

I know I'm not supposed to talk about the video, but I am, because that's what I found the most interesting. I found the video very interesting because there was many things I had no idea about and would have never thought possible. When I first heard what they were talking about, "Phantom limbs, alien parents, but they're not crazy," I was totally like, they're crazy. But while watching they explained what was wrong, but I still didn't really understand until the example of the brain. My most successful learning methods, are literal visual examples, I do not learn from metaphors. It was extremely interesting how the brain could do things like that. I assumed that if there was a problem or connection in the brain it was just done, but this video just brightened my eyes to new possibilities.
So about the readings, those I did not find as interesting. Mostly, they're were uninteresting because I didn't understand it very easily. It was difficult for me to read, when they were talking about the different evolution and scientific findings of alleles and things. The example of the dark/light moth, and the "keep it in the family" example was fascinating to me. Because I realize that animals just naturally came up with this method of passing on their golden genes by keeping their family around to carry it out in some way. I learned many things from these articles and their were many that I already knew. I knew about the alleles and evolution and history of evolution through biology and health classes. It was a great brush up on the subject though.

I found the video, reading the two articles “What is evolution” and “Introduction to evolutionary biology” very interesting because it made me understand more about the species that surround us. One thing that was more interesting to me and that I noticed the most, was that humans are not that different from species and animals, because we all need a partner to help us pass our genes to our offspring. I loved the revolutionary theory, and how evolution occurs though the action of natural selection. I never thought that species, especially the youngsters, inherit things from their parents like humans. I have always heard my mum saying that my eyes looks just like hers, and that I inherited her beauty. But I never thought species could inherit genes from other species. Perhaps take hummingbirds for example, when two parents have long beaks, their offspring will have a long beak. One of the processes of natural selection that was interesting was struggle for existence, because it made me think of humans. The way we struggle to survive. It made me think of crimes, death , day to day life. I have heard of people who were willing to kill each other because of hunger. Why do people commit robbery? People commit robbery for varieties of reasons, like trying to survive, and greed. People try to kill each other for money, and we see the same behavior in animals where they try to kill each other for food instead of money.



Istar Abu

reading response

Reading response

While reading these articles and watching the video i couldn't help but being skeptical. Science and the different theory's of evolution are constantly changing so why ever take anything to heart? I mean even with the recent discovery of Ardi a big portion of Darwin's theory of evolution has been discredited. Don't get me wrong  its obvious evolution exists, their is no arguing that fact. 

While reading the Introduction to Evolutionary Biology i got three basic facts out of it. The first, what exactly evolution is. From my understanding evolution is the changing of a species according to their environment over may generations. Its not a slow process, but a very long intricate one with many factors. One of those factors being sexual selection. The idea "survival of the fittest" does not always apply and sexual selection is proof of that. Your genes cant be passed on without a mate, so if your not chosen to mate with your genes dye out. The more attractive you are to the opposite sex the more likely you will be to procreate. To be high in success on the evolutionary chain you do not need to only be strong and beat out your peers but attractive to the opposite sex so you can pass your genes along. So being big and strong is not the key factor in your personal successful evolution but weather you are considered attractive by the opposite sex.

Another factor in the success of a species evolution is the possibility of genetic mutations. If an animals gene is changed something that could have been a positive evolutionary trait could be changed for the worse. A random change in an animals genes is rarely beneficial. 

Muriel Smith

Evo evo evolution.

Alas! Someone bold enough to point out that evolution does NOT mean progress. I think it is such a common misconception that people have that the more we evolve the better we come. True, humans have become quite complex creatures, but the continuance of this change seems unlikely. For example, look at the survival rate unhealthy people, whether they have disabilities, cancer, AIDS... I support the medical advancement towards helping these people, the idea being one of utmost compassion, but it worries me that we have almost eliminated Natural Selection in our species, at least in western civilizations. I was reading Native American quotes at the library the other day and one was declining a request to send more Native American youth to the Mary and William University. The chief talks about how the last time they participated in such foreign exchange, the youth came back to their tribe completely useless - they could not run, fish, hunt or fight. Though this does not directly relate to evolution, it provides outside perception on how we have been pushing our youth to be unaware of natural survival and more successful in more intellectual (artificial?) matters. Could this be considered evolutionary drift?

Evolution

During the readings on natural selection I was wondering why I was assigned to read it in the first place. It appeared very random compared to what we had just been discussing, which was something like how we perceive the physical world is just our senses making sense of things. At least that’s something I got out of what we’ve been learning. One reason I think we may have been given the readings was to give people a better understanding about evolution in general. It also may have been to show creationist that they can be religious and don’t have to deny evolution. Although I was at the recent Richard Dawkins lecture and he definitely was saying believing in any religion and believing in evolution doesn’t really work out because they contradict each other.

Corbin B.