The evolution tag has no usage guidance.
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What arguments are there for arguing that human reproduction (in modern times) is not pointless?
What arguments are there for arguing that human reproduction (in modern times) is not pointless?
Since there are few reasons which make it irrational:
Suffering of other animals and nature due to ...
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3answers
93 views
AI singularity, and the transmission of intelligence
I was quite taken with David Deutsch's dismissal of the fear of the AI general intelligence singularity, based on the idea that any true intelligences will in some sense start with hybrid human-...
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4answers
3k views
Did Charles Darwin say anything on why life was formed in the first place? [closed]
To be viewed from the perspective of epistemology and/or the philosophy of science.
Preamble:
Darwin, like scientists of his day, often spoke of “Laws” that inevitably cycle forth the results ...
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5answers
170 views
If we don't have free will, why was the quality of being conscious selected for?
I think scientists agree that we're conscious and aware that we have consciousness and awareness. But they don't agree on whether we have free will. I think they don't even have a universal definition ...
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4answers
115 views
Is your phone a natural product?
We are part of this natural system where we live and that we named. Our cities, our trains, our streets, some beautiful and some disgraceful, are all part of our natural world, of what we have built ...
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1answer
87 views
Evaluating One of the Premises of Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism
I learned Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism in the following form:
The probability for the reliability of cognitive faculties conditional on naturalistic evolution, P(R|N&...
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2answers
81 views
What is the philosophical use of the noosphere?
I understand that lately the new concept coined by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin has gained some popularity, and it's definition (according to Wikipedia) is:
The noosphere is the sphere of human ...
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1answer
138 views
Better Understanding Plantinga's Argument Against Naturalism
My advanced apologies if my question is not appropriate for this website. This is my first semester of Philosophy so I hope I'm not asking obvious, low-level questions.
I have been reading Plantinga'...
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1answer
301 views
Is plastic surgery cheating evolution or genetics? [closed]
In the West and modern society, is plastic surgery objectively cheating genetic destiny?
Say a man is not too attractive -- average looking -- and does not manage many sexual partners, if any at all. ...
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1answer
204 views
Does the Evolution Theory contradict Kant's Metaphysics?
I recently asked a series of questions about ET, and this is one of them :)
Intuitively, it seems to me that ET is supposed to contradict Kant's (or more generally, the German Idealism's) Metaphysics ...
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3answers
662 views
Is evolutionary “morality” really the same thing as human morality?
In a different question I asked, Chris Johns' answer pinpointed exactly why all of the answers didn't satisfy me, so I'd like to ask a follow-up question which will further focus my question - would ...
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5answers
170 views
Evolution - how (epistemologically) an instinctive moral is possible?
I've asked a question about how evolution would explain morality, which lead me to a more basic question - if an instinct would tell the group members to act altruistically, where would that instinct ...
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7answers
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Is it possible that evolution brought human kind morality?
I've heard this (rather odd imho) statement that evolution, by the need of survival, dictated humans to uphold moral codes in order to survive, thus gaining a moral system.
Now, to my understanding, ...
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1answer
391 views
What was Nietzsche's Position on Darwin and his theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
I will preface this question by saying I have not read Nietzsche extensively. The one exception is his 'Genealogy of Morals', a recent read of mine, twice actually.
I always assumed Nietzsche's ...
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1answer
123 views
What would Socrates' approach be towards Darwinism?
So Socrates was pretty fond of the idea of reincarnation, the soul, the inferior material objects and bodily matter around us. Would his idea of the soul fit into the theory of evolution, a theory ...
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2answers
122 views
Based on evolution, do we arrive at deductive principles inductively?
If our knowledge of deductive principles is a result of evolution... doesn't this mean that we arrive at deductive principles inductively?
Assuming deductive principles are beneficial for survival, ...
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0answers
59 views
Religious belief as a consequence of self-reliance
Self-reliance doesn't come naturally to many people, but one could argue that self-reliance is an important factor in both natural and sexual selection. Also many religious people achieve self-...
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1answer
702 views
Objections to moral nihilism based on argument from evolution?
One can argue for moral nihilism by claiming that all of our fundamental moral beliefs are explained by the theory of evolution (e.g. early human tribe of liars more likely to fight amongst each other ...
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2answers
632 views
Which came first - philosophy, religion or science?
I don't know if there are any answers, and it's a difficult question to answer without precisely defining "philosophy," etc. But I wondered if anyone is aware of any research or even casual musings ...
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2answers
221 views
Nietzsche and What he got wrong about evolution?
It is known that Nietzsche rejected the clause of the "natural selection" and "survival of the fittest" in the theory of evolution as not as much was confirmed about the theory during his time and it ...
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1answer
123 views
Where can one find the most fully developed version of EAAN with the four-part defense of premise 1?
Having just completed Alvin Plantinga's book Where the Conflict Really Lies, I was a bit surprised to learn that he now takes a different approach to defending premise 1 of the Evolutionary Argument ...
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2answers
52 views
How/why did animals/humans started showing kindness?
Every emotion must had a reason when it was evolved into existence and genetically. Why did animals/humans started showing kindness to the other 'kind', when there was nothing they can gain by feeling ...
3
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1answer
138 views
Who was the first person to speculate that consciousness is a by-product of evolution?
Darwin, it seems, did not believe this. He considered even insects to possess a certain level of consciousness.
I'm aware that there is the problem of defining consciousness. I'm curious whether ...
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3answers
178 views
How does the theory of evolution deal and logically explain all these?
According to the theory of evolution, a law or thing happens only if it's not harmful to the organism itself as well as others. But peeping into entire historical and current situation of mankind, ...
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2answers
498 views
Do qualia have an evolutionary purpose? (assuming they exist)
Do qualia have an evolutionary function, and if so what is it?
Could qualia help us solve problems that Turing machines can't solve?
Could qualia help us solve problems faster than normal computers?
...
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9answers
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Is the theory of evolution a good basis for an argument against freewill?
In the theory of evolution, humans do not occupy any privileged status compared to other living beings, they are at one end of a continuous (although not necessarily monotone) spectrum of creatures.
...
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3answers
670 views
What are the problems with Plantinga's evolutionary argument against naturalism (EAAN)?
Alvin Plantinga's formulation of the argument is here. I'll try to summarize it as I understand it.
Naturalistic evolution selects for traits that tend to lead to survival.
Some true beliefs about ...
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3answers
3k views
Does Noam Chomsky reject Darwinian evolution?
Hilary Putnam claims on his blog that:
I am well aware that both Chomsky and Fodor reject Darwinian evolution.
Is his claim that Noam Chomsky rejects Darwinian evolution true, and if so, on what ...
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3answers
574 views
Evolution and Popperian falsifiability
According to Karl Popper's falsification criterion only a falsifiable theory is said to be a scientific theory. If this is true, is Evolution Theory falsifiable and hence considered scientific?
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7answers
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Are dualism and the theory of evolution compatible?
From an evolutionary point of view there is a continuous gradient of intelligence (in the larger sense of the term), from lower life forms with no intelligence at all to higher life forms that exhibit ...
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17answers
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Why aren't creationism and natural science on the same intellectual level?
In the infamous creation museum a strategically very shrewd exhibit, where a scientist and a biblical scholar both study the same fossils, is being presented:
The sign says
“different scientists ...
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2answers
125 views
Could Cultural/Epistemologial Biases Have Influenced the Evolutionary Concept of Behavioral Modernism? [closed]
Could orthodox conceptions of Human evolution--which rest upon the theory of Behavioral Modernism--be marred by cultural and epistemological biases. For example, are industrialized human populations ...
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5answers
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Why are homologies evidence for evolution instead of common design?
I have seen some creationists arguing that when evolutionary biologists use homologies (anatomical or genetic) as evidence for evolution, they are committing the fallacy of affirming the consequent. ...
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0answers
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Practical applications of intelligent design
Here’s a solid list of the practical applications of evolutionary theory: http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA215.html
Let’s pretend for a moment that intelligent design turned out to be true. ...
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4answers
166 views
Is it possible to construct falsifiable evolutionary hypotheses about behaviour?
My question is very much contained in the title. Most human behaviours are the object of many hypotheses based in the theory of evolution. Usually an hypothesis will arise as a model that explains a ...
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4answers
169 views
Can either individualism or diversity casuse a stall to progress in societies?
This question is assuming that such a thing as 'progress' exists, but let's assume for this instance that it does.
It is encouraged in our society to embrace and adapt to individualism because doing ...
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2answers
204 views
Is a couple living in symbiosis?
I think the answer is yes. Since male and female can live on their own. But for the sake of reproduction and child rearing some form of symbiosis can develop.
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3answers
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Are all advanced civilizations are likely to have a religious phase?
I am not sure if I should be posting this in the philosophy section, or the biology section. Anyway though, I was wondering if people think the believing in a deity is part of the evolution process? ...
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3answers
859 views
Do you think morality and ethics are evolutionary or general disadvantages?
If there are two people, one who's behavior is confined by a strict moral code and another without any constraints are in a competitive situation where the possibility to cheat or otherwise utilize ...
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2answers
208 views
Epistemology of “Creationism Debate”
Epistemologically, is there any difference between a belief in non-interventionist evolution and a belief in young-earth creationism? If so, what is it?
I'm not interested in the question of whether ...
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How would Kant have responded to Darwin's conception of human evolution?
How would Kant have responded to Darwin? That is, how would Kant's theory on the individual as being comprised of a unity of consciousness (in his critique on pure reason), with the theory of Darwin's ...
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4answers
489 views
Is Morality an end in itself or a means to a higher end, and if the latter, what is the higher end?
If morality is nothing more than an evolutionary by-product, i.e. a tool developed for the purpose of prolonging one's existence and/or facilitating reproduction, it seems to make little sense to ...
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2answers
201 views
Homogeneity and human knowledge
The advances in technology and the unprecedented levels of knowledge-sharing in the last few decades could be extrapolated to suggest that the human race as a whole will eventually converge to perhaps ...
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2answers
164 views
Can we deduce selfish behaviour from altruism?
In (biological) evolutionary theory, there are various theories about how altruism evolved via the 'selfish' behaviour of genes.
There are analogical ideas on the economic & ethical spheres. ...
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5answers
895 views
Is Dawkins arguing that a cause must be greater than its effect?
On the one hand, Dawkins is a rather vocal exponent of evolution. Evolution, to me, appears to hold that greater complexity can arise form lesser complexity (unless we want to argue that the causes ...
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3answers
331 views
Can death be given meaning through the theory of evolution?
Disclaimer: I haven't seen any other posts about this anywhere and one night, I was just thinking and scribbled this down, so I don't know where this could be found otherwise.
What if, there is no ...
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2answers
225 views
Evolution is rightly seen as non-teleological, but does that remain true when one goes down to the fundamental physical laws of the universe?
We have a theory (the standard model) that explains a great deal of the physical phenomena that we perceive. Let us grant Physicists their dream, and say we have a theory that explains all physical ...
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7answers
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Does human evolution have a direction or purpose, and if so, does it have an end state? [closed]
Evolution seems to be commonly associated with genetic change which leads to the improved reproductive success of a species. This concept has itself evolved with the work of Richard Dawkins and ...
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2answers
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How does Darwin's Theory of Evolution complicate a reading of Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals?
Darwins Theory of Evolution states that the evolution of life underlies processes like selection, reproduction and variation. I think, essentially he says, that the occurences of any ability or ...
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5answers
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As a result of human progression in science (specifically medicine), have we created ourselves a plateau in the evolutionary process?
It is assumed, for the purpose of this question, that Charles Darwin, in the 19th Century, formulated the concept of "Survival of the Fittest". Penned in his book "The Origin of the Species", which ...
