lew@ihlpa.UUCP (Lew Mammel, Jr.) (04/04/85)
Ken Arndt was amused by a statement he read that "the brain drives evolution." Apparently believing this to mean that we can "will" anatomical change, and that these changes would be inherited, Ken attempted a satire. All this means, Ken, is that behavior creates selective pressures, just as environment does. For example, tool usage will cause selection for hands better adapted to grip. If you want to make fun of Darwinism, fine. But you might try to know what it means first. This was pretty lame. Lew Mammel, Jr. ihnp4!ihlpa!lew
bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) (04/05/85)
In article <177@ihlpa.UUCP> lew@ihlpa.UUCP (Lew Mammel, Jr.) writes: >All this means, Ken, is that behavior creates selective pressures, just >as environment does. For example, tool usage will cause selection for >hands better adapted to grip. Not quite. It's important to be accurate here. It isn't tool usage that causes selection for hands better adapted to grip, it is the survival advantage that individuals with better adapted hands have because they can use tools more efficiently and more accurately. The genetic component of "good hands" thus has a greater probability of being passed on to the next generation. This isn't a flame, only a clarification. -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch