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What does Evolution Mean to you?
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:27 pm
by John Deere
Straight from Wikipedia:
Evolutionary ideas such as common descent and the transmutation of species have existed since at least the 6th century BC, when they were expounded by the Greek philosopher Anaximander. Others who considered such ideas included the Greek philosopher Empedocles, the Roman philosopher-poet Lucretius, the Arab biologist Al-Jahiz, the Persian philosopher Ibn Miskawayh, the Brethren of Purity, and the Eastern philosopher Zhuangzi. As biological knowledge grew in the 18th century, evolutionary ideas were set out by a few natural philosophers including Pierre Maupertuis in 1745 and Erasmus Darwin in 1796. The ideas of the biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck about transmutation of species had wide influence. Charles Darwin formulated his idea of natural selection in 1838 and was still developing his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him a similar theory, and both were presented to the Linnean Society of London in separate papers. At the end of 1859 Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species explained natural selection in detail and presented evidence leading to increasingly wide acceptance of the occurrence of evolution.
But if we think about it there are many things that we can associate with Evolution. With that being said, what does it mean to you? Can we associate technology with Evolution? Or is that just advancements in life?
Re: What does Evolution Mean to you?
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:22 pm
by Gage
John Deere wrote:Straight from Wikipedia:
Evolutionary ideas such as common descent and the transmutation of species have existed since at least the 6th century BC, when they were expounded by the Greek philosopher Anaximander. Others who considered such ideas included the Greek philosopher Empedocles, the Roman philosopher-poet Lucretius, the Arab biologist Al-Jahiz, the Persian philosopher Ibn Miskawayh, the Brethren of Purity, and the Eastern philosopher Zhuangzi. As biological knowledge grew in the 18th century, evolutionary ideas were set out by a few natural philosophers including Pierre Maupertuis in 1745 and Erasmus Darwin in 1796. The ideas of the biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck about transmutation of species had wide influence. Charles Darwin formulated his idea of natural selection in 1838 and was still developing his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him a similar theory, and both were presented to the Linnean Society of London in separate papers. At the end of 1859 Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species explained natural selection in detail and presented evidence leading to increasingly wide acceptance of the occurrence of evolution.
But if we think about it there are many things that we can associate with Evolution. With that being said, what does it mean to you? Can we associate technology with Evolution? Or is that just advancements in life?
A wise man once said “But this is not a reason. This is not a "why". He himself - his very nature is a means. It is not an end. And so to look for him is to be looking for a means to do... what? What is the reason? Soon the why and the reason are gone and all that matters is the feeling. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it; but it is of course a lie. Beneath our poised appearance we are completely out of control.â€
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:13 am
by Simon of the Playa
have you?
are you a BioMechanical Being yet?
Have you integrated electronics into your Person?
soon we will all be Steve Fucking Austin.
this will be the case with 90% of the "First World" within 5 years.
i'm not kidding. The "wet-ware" and implants that are being tested and will very soon be available to the mainstream are astounding and frightening as they are enticing. Who doesnt want a cornea that can zoom, see in the dark and store images on a teeny tiny flash drive inside your head?(available and being tested now as well)
how about just thinking, and your "Instant thought message" is translated and transferred to your friend who is also part of the "Network"..(see 60 minutes, story on brain controlled computing, 2 weeks ago, and actually they have been fucking with this shit for YEARS!)
cell phones, ubiquitous as they are now will be replaced by implants, and prosthetics and Tissue Farming will be able to fix, or replace broken parts
we will soon be living well past our 150th birthday as the Singularity of Scientific discovery approaches. This is especially noticeable when it involves computing, AI, and integration into our genetic make-up of new and possibly altered gene maps thru "gene therapy".
lets not forget the nanobots, which have ALREADY successfully cured cancer in rats.
i'm just not digging the USB port they installed in my nose though.
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:32 am
by Zulegoona
Oh that’s what it is I thought it was just a weird booger.
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:35 am
by theCryptofishist
Simon of the Playa wrote:are you a BioMechanical Being yet?
Have you integrated electronics into your Person?
I'm working on it.
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:08 am
by BAS
A friend of mine has an insulin pump-- that is electronic, and he wears it pretty much all the time as far as I know. Some people have pace-makers, which are integrated electronic devices. So, yes, we are already at the bio-mechanical phase as a species. (Heck, even some of our PETS have computer chips mounted in them! It helps identify who their owners are should they get lost.)
Anyways, as said above, everything is just a step to something else. Or, at least, that is one way of looking at things.
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:23 am
by ygmir
Simon of the Playa wrote:have you?
i'm just not digging the USB port they installed in my nose though.
Simon,
you sure you've got that right? your nose may be ok, I'm told the memory sticks are suppositories.......you may have things backwards.......
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:25 am
by pinemom
theCryptofishist wrote:Simon of the Playa wrote:are you a BioMechanical Being yet?
Have you integrated electronics into your Person?
I'm working on it.
The first Biomechanical FISH!
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:51 pm
by chiefdanfox
ygmir wrote:Simon of the Playa wrote:have you?
i'm just not digging the USB port they installed in my nose though.
Simon,
you sure you've got that right? your nose may be ok, I'm told the memory sticks are suppositories.......you may have things backwards.......
And I hope you are not digging around anywhere for any implants, but if so, for chrissake, check yer nose first!
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:53 pm
by Ugly Dougly
Adapt or die, Coelacanth!

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:45 pm
by gyre
It's the cockroach, nuclear bomb, foot game.
What does Evolution Mean to you?
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:13 pm
by motskyroonmatick
Dammed if you do. Dammed if you don't.
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 8:11 pm
by issimo
Without my heart stents I'd be really sleepy...
Really.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:08 am
by Simon of the Playa
i have come to terms with MyNanobots(tm) and have learned to love the little purring sound they make at night.
not to mention when i cut myself, i heal really really quickly.
there are benefits to being a first waver...
Welcome to BurningMan, DARPA testing ground for unwitting subject research.
insert super duper evil laugh
*here*
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:59 am
by lurker
Somebody said somewhere that we'd become the Borg much more easily than getting all that other Star Trek stuff....and it looks like it might be true
Still, we'd be virtually immortal, we'd have our own user driven multi person matrices--which we could use at any time--even at work(program in your work routine and do it on autopilot)
And I've always been a fan of slick black rubber....
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:05 am
by Sail Man
pinemom wrote:theCryptofishist wrote:Simon of the Playa wrote:are you a BioMechanical Being yet?
Have you integrated electronics into your Person?
I'm working on it.
The first Biomechanical FISH!

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:00 am
by Ugly Dougly
No pissing in the gene pool:
http://www.darwinawards.com/
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:31 pm
by Ugly Dougly
Pangenesis was Charles Darwin's hypothetical mechanism for heredity. He presented this 'provisional hypothesis' in his 1868 work The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication and felt that it brought 'together a multitude of facts which are at present left disconnected by any efficient cause'. The etymology of the word comes from the Greek words pan (a prefix meaning "whole", "encompassing") and genesis (birth) or genos (origin).
Pangenesis holds that body cells shed gemmules, which collect in the reproductive organs prior to fertilization. Thus every cell in the body has a 'vote' in the constitution of the offspring. Atavisms arise due to the awaking of long-dormant gemmules, while limbs regenerate due to the activation of gemmules from the missing limb.
Pangenesis itself is now seen as deeply flawed and not supported by observation, yet it represents Darwin's attempt to explain such diverse phenomena as:
atavisms,
the intermediate nature of hybrids (blending inheritance),
Lamarckian use and disuse, and
limb regeneration.
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:12 pm
by Elderberry
I love reading those Darwin Awards!
JK
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:00 pm
by penguin
Evolution = change.
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:50 pm
by theCryptofishist
I am reading this great book
Your Inner Fish and it's about how we can see much of our evolutionary history in human embrionic development and in the fossil record.
I do know that there is another sense of "evolution" than strict neo-Darwinism, and that it is in fact the older sense of the word. But after sitting through eight years of scientific know-nothingism I am so happy to embrace the more common sense of the term.
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:50 am
by Ugly Dougly
Linearity in evolution is currently thought to be mostly an illusion. In reality, changing enviromental conditions select random mutations to survive based on their adaptations.
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:53 am
by ZeroSky
Zulegoona wrote:Oh that’s what it is I thought it was just a weird booger.
What a Godly answer

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:11 pm
by scotto
Evolution is not just about the Survival of the Fittest...It is about embracing or trying something you have previously resisted.
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:21 am
by a sea of dirac
all i have to say is that evolution did not stop at man, shit look at the bacteria that has evolved to live in jet fuel, or the fungus they found on earth returned satalites.......
the universe is an ever growning and evolving place. and it is beautiful in such!
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:49 am
by klondike_bar
Evolution according to South Park:
“You’re the retarded offspring of 5 monkies having butt sex with a fish squirrel.â€
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:08 pm
by a sea of dirac
[quote="klondike_bar"]Evolution according to South Park:
“You’re the retarded offspring of 5 monkies having butt sex with a fish squirrel.â€
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:27 pm
by 3walls
I can read EVOLUTION in a physical way, but I think that the most important face of IT is the growing soul
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:16 pm
by klondike_bar
[quote="a sea of dirac"][quote="klondike_bar"]Evolution according to South Park:
“You’re the retarded offspring of 5 monkies having butt sex with a fish squirrel.â€
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:35 am
by Simon of the Playa
bad teeth, big boobs, and not too smart...
but polite, terribly polite....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/ ... reationism