tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post60850711249124618..comments2024-03-29T11:18:17.285+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Evolutionary philosophy versus specific applications of evolutionBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-9143404981521830372016-01-03T07:02:56.774+00:002016-01-03T07:02:56.774+00:00@Nick - My advice was very generic since I don'...@Nick - My advice was very generic since I don't know who you are or why you want to learm - so if you are drawn in some other direction then that is the direction you should proceed. <br /><br />I found David L Hull's Science as a Process to be valuable - it is about the (historical and conceptual) evolution of the idea of evolution. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-81357050977998885172016-01-02T23:37:48.885+00:002016-01-02T23:37:48.885+00:00Thanks Bruce, that's great. Yes I do mean lear...Thanks Bruce, that's great. Yes I do mean learning from no previous knowledge; but not for an undergraduate model rather just because I am interested and want to learn.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04863082484252944423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-7159648437018296372016-01-01T10:50:49.361+00:002016-01-01T10:50:49.361+00:00@Nick - Do you mean learning like for an undergrad...@Nick - Do you mean learning like for an undergraduate module, from no previous knowledge? <br /><br />If so, the books I recommend might include Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, Matt Ridley's The Red Queen, Dylan Evans's Introducing Evolutionary Psychology (cartoons) and David M Buss's Evolutionary Psychology (a text book).Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-17118619951096209542016-01-01T08:00:21.054+00:002016-01-01T08:00:21.054+00:00Happy New Year Bruce. This is an old post but seem...Happy New Year Bruce. This is an old post but seemed an appropriate place to pose a question:<br /><br />Could you please recommend a "layman's syllabus" for learning about evolution and evolutionary psychology? I am most interested in Truth. It's a fascinating topic and 'comes up on my radar' a lot; yet I don't know much about it at all, so I thought I would start with Darwin and work forward from there ... Are there say 5 - 10 books that you could recommend to give me a start/overview?Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04863082484252944423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-69746369949821953892012-03-05T07:56:49.664+00:002012-03-05T07:56:49.664+00:00@Gyan - "Basically you say that micro-evoluti...@Gyan - "Basically you say that micro-evolution is common observation but macro-evolution is un_Christian."<br /><br />No that's not what I am saying - I am saying that micro-evolution is common observation but macro-observation is not - the evidence is indirect, and depends on the competence and validity (and trustworthyness) of scientists (people like myself, in other words). <br /><br /><br /><br />What *is* anti-Christian is evolutionary philosophy.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-55440565915138415112012-03-05T06:21:06.200+00:002012-03-05T06:21:06.200+00:00Breeding does not purport to change the essence of...Breeding does not purport to change the essence of the species. It merely emphasizes certain traits that already exist. A dog remains a dog, wheat remains wheat.<br /><br />So breeding is not the same as (macro)evolution where new traits are supposed to emerge and given sufficient time, a proto-bacteria may lead to an intelligent human.<br /><br />Basically you say that micro-evolution is common observation but macro-evolution is un_Christian. <br /><br />But I think that there is nothing un-Christian in macro-evolution as well. Only the rational element in man is divine and supposed to me immediately caused by God while the animals are only indirectly caused. So I see nothing un-Christian in macro-evolution.Gyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09941686166886986037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-51402172035171800682012-03-04T19:45:01.661+00:002012-03-04T19:45:01.661+00:00@ajb - actually, you are misunderstanding the natu...@ajb - actually, you are misunderstanding the nature of evolution by natural selection! That isn't what it does.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-71026095019045016262012-03-04T19:05:47.013+00:002012-03-04T19:05:47.013+00:00A similar question to Wm Jas's.
Why can't...A similar question to Wm Jas's.<br /><br />Why can't someone argue as follows: functions and structures selected by evolutionary processes are constrained by their efficacy in guiding or allowing animal behaviour. A frog hops in a way that conforms to the reality of its environment, and the various functions and structures evolved by frogs therefore map onto the 'terrain' in a certain way. Similarly, certain rational processes in human minds were selected because they were useful in allowing humans to manipulate their environment. They were useful because they conformed to the reality of the environment in some way. Therefore, using those rational processes is reliable. <br /><br />Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of 'logically incoherent' here?ajbhttp://anthonyburgoyne.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-48092190091317293432012-03-04T17:01:17.317+00:002012-03-04T17:01:17.317+00:00@WmJas - I don't think it is logically incoher...@WmJas - I don't think it is logically incoherent - but necessarily an assumption (not a discovery). <br /><br />By 'logically incoherent' I meant merely to repeat the earlier point about evolution being self-refuting if taken as a general metaphysics/ philosophy.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-82396674989258126432012-03-04T15:50:14.762+00:002012-03-04T15:50:14.762+00:00I understand and agree with most of this, but why ...I understand and agree with most of this, but why do you call the theory that evolution is the origin of all species differences "logically incoherent"?Wm Jasnoreply@blogger.com