[MD] Oneness, Dualism & Intellect

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting Horse <horse at darkstar.uk.net>:

Hi Horse,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to answer questions about evolution.
I guess whether or not changes in bacteria qualifies as "evolution" in the sense
that something more than bacteria are created in the process is a matter of
definition. Arlo says there's a difference between micro and macro evolution. It's
the latter I had in mind in claiming evolution has stopped at the lower levels
while the MOQ represents a current example of evolution occurring now at the
intellectual level. I've become somewhat suspicious of scientific terminology
every since reading Pirsig's take on the platypus. (No relation.) In any case,
I appreciate your answers to my questions. It's always good to hear from you.

Regards,
Platt
   

> >> More from Wikipedia:
> >>
> >> "Evolution is change in populations of organisms over generations. 
> >> Offspring differ from their parents in various ways. When these 
> >> differences are helpful, the offspring have a greater chance of 
> >> surviving and reproducing, making the differences more common in the 
> >> next generation. In this way, differences can accumulate over time, 
> >> leading to major changes in a population.
> >> Evolution occurs through changes in genes, the "recipe" for constructing 
> >> the organism. When an organism reproduces, small random changes in the 
> >> genes make the offspring different from the parent. Sometimes these 
> >> changes help the offspring survive to reproduce. When this happens, the 
> >> genes for the beneficial traits are passed on to the organism's own 
> >> offspring, becoming more common in the next generation. Genes that do 
> >> not help organisms reproduce may become rarer or be completely 
> >> eliminated from the population. This is called natural selection, a 
> >> major part of evolution. Through natural selection, populations of 
> >> organisms slowly change over time as they adapt to changes in their 
> >> environments."
> >>
> >> So evolution is not just about creating new species.
> > 
> > Isn't a major change in a population the same as creating a new species? 
> 
> I don't think so. But it depends on what sort of life we're talking 
> about. For a major change in life that reproduces sexually the new, 
> "improved" form may be compatible with the earlier form although with 
> significant differences. Whereas a new species is generally incompatible 
>    with a related species even though they have a common ancestor.
> 
> > If not, what constitutes creating a new species? 
> 
> I suppose that depends on what definition of species you want to use. 
> Have a look at the Wikipedia page on species to see what I mean. An 
> interesting quote from this page relating to species classifications is:
> 
> "....the differences between them are more a matter of emphasis than of 
> outright contradiction. Nevertheless, no species concept yet proposed is 
> entirely objective, or can be applied in all cases without resorting to 
> judgement. Given the complexity of life, some have argued that such an 
> objective definition is in all likelihood impossible, and biologists 
> should settle for the most practical definition."
> 
> > And, are any major changes in populations being observed today? Thanks.
> 
> Again, what sort of populations are you thinking of. Going back to what 
> I said a while ago about bacteria, they are seen to be changing all the 
> time and given that there are about 5 X 10^35 (5 with 35 zero's added) 
> bacteria on the planet and around 10 million species of the little 
> buggers it would be almost impossible for them not to be subject to 
> major changes over time. Another interesting group is fungi which is, I 
> think, the second most common form of life on earth.
> 
> 
> Horse




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