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Cogito ergo sum

Here in the Philosophy forum we will talk about all the "why" questions. We'll have conversations about the way in which philosophy and theology and religion interact with each other. Metaphysics, ontology, origins, truth? They're all fair game so jump right in and have some fun! But remember...play nice!

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Argument from Reason

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  • #16
    Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
    Everything from wood nymphs to gods, well, assuming you've never seen a wood nymph.

    Because evolution guarantees nothing more than just enough to survive, we expect less than optimum results. My perfect hair is the exception that proves the rule.
    This appears to me to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the evolutionary process. Evolution provides a mechanism for optimizing those characteristics that will provide a species with a survival advantage in a particular evolutionary niche. It is not "just survive." It is "does this help me survive MORE than the other members in the niche."

    Ergo - if greater height gives a member of the species an advantage, beings with greater height will survive at a greater rate, passing on the adaptation to their progeny at a higher rate. If the ability to use tools gives a being an advantage in their niche, nature will select for it. If reason provides a greater survival advantage, nature will select for it.

    So when someone says, "we don't need eyesight to survive - many animals survive without eyesight," they are misunderstanding how evolution works. The question is, will eyesight help me survive at a greater rate than my competitors in this niche. If the answer is yes, evolution will select for it. Likewise, when someone says, "many animals get by without consciousness, so consciousness is not an aid to survival," they are misunderstanding how evolution works. The question is, does consciousness help me survive at a greater rate than my competitors in this niche. If the answer is yes, nature will select for it.

    It's kind of like the old joke about the two men who come upon a bear near the edge of a field. As the bear charges, one man immediate turns and bolts into the open field. The other man screams, "Are you crazy? You can't outrun a bear!" The first man screams back, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun YOU!"
    Last edited by carpedm9587; 02-15-2018, 01:19 PM.
    The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

    I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

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    • #17
      Originally posted by seer View Post
      So all your thoughts are predetermined, and you have no choice in what you believe to be true or correct or not... Just as you had no choice in writing the above, whether it is true or not.
      Originally posted by Tassman View Post
      And around we go again. I refer you to our previous discussions re combatabilism.

      What you cannot answer is how you make libertarian free-will decisions, when your decisions and choices have been shaped and formed by antecedent unconscious processes from inputs and memory function. Or do you deny that your subconscious memories and socialisation dominate your decision-making processes?
      Originally posted by seer View Post
      Tass, we are speaking about reason here - that topic excludes you....
      A cheap shot.
      For Neo-Remonstration (Arminian/Remonstrant ruminations): <https://theremonstrant.blogspot.com>

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      • #18
        Originally posted by The Remonstrant View Post
        A cheap shot.
        Yes, yes it was...
        Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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        • #19
          Originally posted by carpedm9587 View Post
          This appears to me to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the evolutionary process. Evolution provides a mechanism for optimizing those characteristics that will provide a species with a survival advantage in a particular evolutionary niche.
          There are no optimal organisms. There are no optimal traits.

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          • #20
            Originally posted by lao tzu View Post
            There are no optimal organisms. There are no optimal traits.
            I did not say "optimal." I said "optimize." Within a particular evolutionary niche, evolution optimizes those traits that provide for a greater chance of survival in that niche. Change the niche, and those traits may no longer provide a survival value, so they will no longer be selected for.
            The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

            I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

            Comment

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