Re: Evolutinary Synthesis

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> All of the products of culture are created within a universe
> permeated by selective forces, and must at some level be
> affected by them. That does not mean all cultural
> attributes originate as the result of selective pressure, or
> are even strongly influenced by selection whatsoever.
>
> John A. Giacobbe
> catalinus@aol.com

This is an interesting subject. I would like to add emphasis to this point
that there is nothing more fundamental to culture than the genome. The
selective pressure is immense and all of our existence attests to selective
this selective pressure. We are not aware of it as fish are not aware of
water, except at the interface with air.

Take something like aesthetics. Why should flowers be "pretty"? Indeed, if
we were not bred with the ability to perceive their beauty, they would not
be. And where did we learn about beauty? A million years of selection, of
course. That is what we did in all those forests and caves during all those
millenia. We learned beauty, aesthetics, love and cooperation. We learned
culture. We selected for culture.

And who did we learn beauty from? Who taught us that a flower is beautiful?
Bees of course. All genomes are connected in a deep sense.

Bob Wrathall

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