Re: aat-reply to Moore.

Ralph L Holloway (rlh2@columbia.edu)
Sun, 9 Jul 1995 12:40:12 -0400

I am not at all opposed to listening to the 'nonspecialist' take a
fresh and unique (independent) look at some evolutionary problem such as
bipedalism, the brain, handedness, or whatever. But the Hardy thing has
been around a long time and it simply hasn't been a good explanation,
and has no direct factual basis. Citing more professional nonspecialists
with regard to bipedal locomotion isn't a secure way to argue. E.O Wilson
may someday come up with one hellofa theory on human bipedalism, but
until he does, don't insult my intelligence by citing him AS IF he were
some kind of last word on human evolution as it pertains to bipedal
locomotion, or Dawkins, or Steve Pinker, or Ralph Holloway, for that
matter. There are several very competant anatomists out there who have
devoted their working careers to the evolutionary questions of
bipedalism, and I've yet to hear a kind word for AAT. Needless to say,
that doesn't make them correct either. But I really don't have a lot of
respect for people who put people in their corner like you did simply
because they don't roll their eyes back into their sockets as much as the
others...Furthermore, simply because people like Dawkins or E.O. Wilson
don't come out blasting AAT is hardly evience that they accept AAT either
in whole or in part, which is the sort of spin you are trying to put on
this.
I don't pretend that I 'know' just how bipedal locomotion evolved,
but Japanese pearl divers and swinmming newborns/infants and unknown
aquatic environments (Afar Lake/inland sea?) eccrine/apocrine ratios,
etc., are not going to persuade me that the ATT's know anything about
comparative anatomy, evolutionary theory, the fossil record, or what
makes a presentable scientific argument. For all I know, all
newborn/infant mammals make "swimming" motions when put into water, and
maybe thats derived from evolutionary events that took place in the
Palaeozoic. But to say that human infants have retained a swimming
complexfrom their aquatic apehood past strikes me as, well, nonsense.
There are defenders of your faith out there (Troy, Dooley, etc) and
those of mine (Moore, Erwin, Nichols, Duncan, etc), and I'm not going to
waste much more time on AAT. Have a nice summer, Ralph Holloway.