RobJ said:
This seems contrary to everything in the world. This country for one was built on people taking chances, exploring the wild, standing up against all odds. With all this natural selection, I guess you believe we came from monkeys...I don't. And I still see fat people, skinny people, short people, tall people all waking around. You would think natural selection would week out all the "non datable"
people.
So I read this as "girly men" there are still plenty of those around to. Watch HGTV lately? So much for natual selection.
Sorry if I hit a nerve Rob, I didn't want to retry the Scopes trial. Not sure to what you refer as "THIS" the "this" that is contrary to the world. It is nature's way to have a lot of variation and a good thing it does. Over specialization can lead to extinction. Over time the most successful out compete the least successful. Your opinion about "datable" is not important to nature as regards survival value. Often what is good for the species is not particularly good for the individual. This is similar to what is good for a nation may not be good for young men in the army. Explorers and adventurers are more often killed off and may have fewer progeny BUT the society as a whole benefits from their activities. In aggregate, over time, natural selection is just a bit more sophisticated than pretty girls have more babies and I didn't evolve from a monkey.
There is much more depth and width to this discussion than should ever be inflicted on the innocent lurkers and I don't think it is appropriate to have it here. I think it is less important to have it here than to restart the magic conveyor controversy. I am not "selling" Darwin's "Origin of Species" and I will not retry the Scopes "Monkey Trial."
Oh, and by the way... datable may not be the same as or as important as "able to get pregnant" or "able to impregnate" as nature doesn't care if you date or not, just if you have offspring to compete in the grand scheme of things.
I was only commenting on a narrow concept. Basically the concept is that dead people don't raise as many children and people who do risky things are more likely to become dead people, ergo, there is a tendency, over time, for those who are more circumspect about cliffs, high places and the like to raise more children. This tilts the population dynamics in favor of those with the funny feeling about heights and drop offs. This tendency is sufficient to render those with the funny feeling as normal as they are definitely in the majority.
I also mentioned that there is a wide variation in people. This gives us a constant supply of those with varying degrees of timidity regarding heights and drop offs. The least effected climb everest, base jump, work high steel, etc and sometimes perform a useful service to our society when they live long enough.
Oh and by the way, just what the heck does "GIRLIE MAN" and HGTV got to do with an intelligent conversation? I don't care what you watch or how you dress.
If you want to be a cross dressing Lumber Jack and be OK, that is fine with me. I could care less what day you go shopping or have buttered scones for tea or whether or not you put on girlie clothing and hang around in bars. (My apologies to Monty Python!)
Pat
