Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id OAA13080 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 26 Jul 2001 14:12:15 +0100 Subject: RE: Logic Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:08:46 -0400 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "memetics list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20010726130915.AAA1459@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Vincent -
>Another basic error is to see evolution as a kind of a ladder, with
>species fighting each other to get to the top of it, and with us on top.
Although it is like a big pile of, uh, stuff, continually being built up,
like a huge trash pit, upon the surface of which we all (each and all
species of each and all things) sit.
Or crawl. Or hunch. Or jump. Or fly....
There's lots of stuff down under there we left behind, but it all still
supports the mound. Like that pyramid of grains, this mound too has
emergent functions that can be altered catastrophically.
The only logic I've ever heard about life is that line from Jurassic Park
- 'Life finds a way.'
But there ain't no logic in trying to find out what that way is. (Or what
form of life will do it.) The problem with discerning non-randomness is,
even a definite repeating pattern _could_ be a statistically rare set of
events. (Although, yeah, Robin, I did mean just what you figured I
meant....)
- Wade
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