Evolutionary development is absolutely fascinating. As far as we are aware at this point, we developed here on Earth, from the same single cell organisms. The whole process is slow and incomprehensible in many ways... but over enough time life began so varied as to produce the world of creatures and plants as we know it today. What a miraculous process. Fossil records are our way of looking back into the past, and we continue to develop theories about the origin of our own and other species.
Darwinism and how it matters to me... sometimes I wonder about the viability of my own genes, I am not made for the sun, I am extremely sensitive in many ways, etc, and a weird judgmental darwinism concept inside my head creates nervousness. This is not something that I am proud of or grateful for, I don't enjoy it or benefit from it... but it is there, wondering whether, the next time there is a bottle-neck in evolution, I or my (non-existent, perhaps future) progeny will make it to the other side.
Otherwise generally, the physical implications of darwinism are inspiring. The adaptable nature of being reminds me that we all, big and small, roll with the punches and shift with context.
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Even the concept of Evolution has evolved! ha. It makes sense that we are still piecing together the way that nature moves through time.
I really enjoyed the second article, it was very interesting to think about the evolution of spiritual ideas... but science cannot explain why we exist, why anything came into existence. Science cannot go back before the big bang, science is not the answer to any real mystery, the questions that are beyond words. Evolution is obviously a very successful adaptation, it can be used for so many things and in so many ways... but time will tell which will last.
Also, the article made a point that academics are explaining many different types of phenomena, including acts like rape, with evolution. I see this as taking the easy way out, if not accompanied by an in depth investigation into the mind states and backgrounds of people who commit atrocities like that. Can everything be reduced to evolution, to the interest of the species? SHOULD everything be reduced to evolution? Seems stupid to me, too simple... I don't know.
What baffles me and what wish I understood more about Evo-Devo is how so many species developed if everything started from the same single celled organisms as you mention in the first paragraph. I have similar thoughts about Darwinism too, most of them pessimistic.
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