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Re: Breast Size (Was: Re: Homosexuality and genetic determinism)
Phillip Bigelow (n8010095@cc.wwu.edu)
10 Jun 1995 18:18:20 -0700
mycol1@unm.edu (Bryant) writes:
>Because fitness
>advantages shape many traits (adaptations), it's fair to say that those
>traits evolved TO provide those fitness advantages. Our opposable thumbs
>evolved TO grasp
The above statement implies that evolution is somehow
"purpose-driven". That, somehow, evolution "knows" that opposable thumbs
are better at grasping, and drives morphology "TO" it's purposeful goal.
There is no "consciousness" to evolution. It is, instead, a never-ending
process of RANDOM changes in morphology.
Some of these random changes are useful for the continued survival of the
organism and are kept. Other mutations are detrimental, and the organism
dies before passing on it's genes.
There is no evolution "to" or "toward" a fitness advantage. It's more
like gravity: it's a PROCESS, not a plan. Furthermore, giving evolution
some form of "consciousness" isn't going to make it any
more palatable to creationists. My advice: why bother with them!
Since this thread also appears on talk.origins, I took the trouble and
edited that newsgroup out of the header.
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