At 08:27 PM 11/14/96, you wrote:
>Jim Bell wrote:
>
>>A simple way to prove this is to try, based on evolutionism alone, to prove
>>Hitler was wrong. Give it a whack.
>
>Any organism whose immune system attacks his own body is less fit than an
>organism whose body does not do that. Alternatively an organism which engages
>in self-cannibalism is less fit than one that doesn't. Since the elements of
>society have the same characteristics as the parts of an organism
>(army-bacteriophage;leader-brain; communication systems-nerves etc). And since
>societies also evolve, a society that attacks itself is less fit than a
>society which does not do that. Hitler used the organs of state to kill off
>some of the brainiest and most industrious people in his own society. Thus
>his society was much less fit (as history showed) than ours which did not
>engage in self-cannibalism.
entirely self-evident. The features that you assume to be less adaptive,
i.e., cannabilism, destruction of the intelligensia, etc. could, in fact, be
more adaptive in certain types of environments. It is very difficult to
point to specific traits and to then conclude that they are more or less
adaptive given the current environment. It is even more difficult to
presume that they would be more or less adaptive given tomorrow's environment.
Steve
____________________________________________________________
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D . Phone: 608/263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: 608/263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and Email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Center
CSC K4-432
600 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53792
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to
search out a matter." Proverbs
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