03-24-2022, 09:17 AM
I’m curious about this forum’s thoughts on evolution, specifically whether it is driven fully by random mutation and natural selection, or whether there is some sort of ‘intelligence’ or other force guiding it.
In BAM and elsewhere there are examples of animal behavior that could be claimed to be inexplicable by the former view. These include seemingly pointless acts of reveling, self-destructive or line-ending acts, and extremely specific instincts that seemingly couldn’t have arisen incrementally.
One could propose that the fact that insects have had a much longer time to evolve is the reason they can have such specific and complex instincts. Small rodents also fit this criterion to a lesser degree.
The self-destructive acts could be explained away as a malfunctioning due to an environment/situation different to the ones evolved under. The reveling perhaps as drives misfiring in benign ways.
Interestingly, ‘Higher’ animals tend to have more vague instincts and more learned behaviors…
One questions why more complex life would arise at all when simple life is so good at reproducing. Of course, if it didn’t, we wouldn’t be here to speak of it, so one could accuse this question of a sort of confirmation bias…
Overall, what I know of animal behavior leads me to sympathize with the view that there is more going on than chance mutation and natural selection.
But I’m curious what others think. Maybe some want to argue for involution as well.
In BAM and elsewhere there are examples of animal behavior that could be claimed to be inexplicable by the former view. These include seemingly pointless acts of reveling, self-destructive or line-ending acts, and extremely specific instincts that seemingly couldn’t have arisen incrementally.
One could propose that the fact that insects have had a much longer time to evolve is the reason they can have such specific and complex instincts. Small rodents also fit this criterion to a lesser degree.
The self-destructive acts could be explained away as a malfunctioning due to an environment/situation different to the ones evolved under. The reveling perhaps as drives misfiring in benign ways.
Interestingly, ‘Higher’ animals tend to have more vague instincts and more learned behaviors…
One questions why more complex life would arise at all when simple life is so good at reproducing. Of course, if it didn’t, we wouldn’t be here to speak of it, so one could accuse this question of a sort of confirmation bias…
Overall, what I know of animal behavior leads me to sympathize with the view that there is more going on than chance mutation and natural selection.
But I’m curious what others think. Maybe some want to argue for involution as well.