Re: Refs, please... was... Re: AAT Theory

David Froehlich (eohippus@moe.cc.utexas.edu)
Sun, 22 Oct 1995 14:39:51 -0500

On Sun, 22 Oct 1995, Paul Crowley wrote:

> Definitely the "evolution forces" error again
>

Maybe we are speaking past each other, but evolution forces nothing,
environment forces everything. If you are maladapted to your present
environment and thus have lower reproductive potential, then the
population can change in one of three ways due to that differential
reproduction, 1) populations whose variability allows for greater
reproduction will predominate (live on the edge of the forest so the
organisms which are more bipedal tend to survive and reproduce more), 2)
populations without sufficient variability will have reduced reproduction
(the die part of it), or 3) populations can move (fossil ancestors of
chimps staying in the forest). Why is this a falacy? Why is this hard
to grasp?

David J. Froehlich Phone: 512-471-6088
Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory Fax: 512-471-5973
J.J. Pickle Research Campus
The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712