Random thoughts on the blue highways.
You never know what you will find on the blue highways. Particularly when the choice at an intersection is controlled by the roll of a die. About the only rule is that highway onramps don't count as an intersection. You don't even have to roll the die. If one road looks interesting, go for it.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Evolutionary success
Pet ownership an affront to Islam - Beliefnet Forums: "Numbers don't necessarily count for evolutionary success, see the buffalo, the passenger pigeon. or the dodo. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Islamic world when the oil money runs out. Just as it will be interesting to see what will happen to the religious right when their political power runs out. Their base is the poorest, the fattest, and the least educated in the US. In evolutionary terms success in measured in generations, fecundity is of course significant, but success in the modern world is measured in intellectual property, and using it effectively. It will be interesting to see how home schooling and Bible Colleges compete for the jobs at the next Google."
What an odd collection of sentences: Of course, numbers don't count and "survival of the fittest" is the most misunderstood concept of Evolution Theory. The germ plasm does not discriminate; when the body it is animating is no longer able to sustain it in the manner it demands, it "shuts down."
ReplyDeleteRather than intellectual property as the measuring stick, there is a hunger for "wealth generation" and the most vivid example of that is the UAE and their creation of Dubhai. Without much "original thought"
We are talking evolutionary success here which is measured in generations not momentary excesses driven by odd coincidences. Dubhai even as we speak is importing the intellectual resources to build its infrastructure. Accidental wealth can make a short term splash in the gene pool, but if your children have to go to Harvard, Stanford or Peking University, for their intellectual capital what does that say about the evolutionary success of your society?
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