Squeakland Evolution project thingy
JArchibald at aol.com
JArchibald at aol.com
Fri Jun 1 19:47:21 UTC 2001
=> 5/31/01 10:12:20 AM EDT, K.Hodges at ftel.co.uk =>
<< "If we hold the theory of evolution to be true, which it is likely to be
given the philosphical viewpoint or axiom that assumes there is no outside
agent then it is likely that the process of evolution evolved the animals,
both their bodies and their habits ..." >>
It is suggested by other contributions that this sentence may be difficult to
parse for sixth graders. I would suggest it's not too easy for adults,
either. Nonetheless, to jump in the pool with all you philosophical sharks
here for a minute, let's give it a try.
Rephrasing ==>
----------------------------------------------
1. The assumption that there is no outside agent implies that the theory of
evolution is true.
2. If we hold the theory of evolution to be true then it is likely that the
process of evolution evolved the animals, both their bodies and their habits
...
3. (I guess) ... thus the assumption that there is not outside agent implies
the likelihood that the process of ... etc.
----------------------------------------------
Does this work? If so, I have two (actually three) naive questions about this
outlook:
Question 0: First an aside on the assumption: Why? For example, is there not
the possibility of such a "thing" as an ‘inside’ agent (genetic,
vibrational, etc.). Can we not conceive of other mechanisms?
Question 1: Nonetheless, to examine the truth of the sentence itself, let us
take the contrapositive: If the theory of evolution is false, then there is
an outside agent. Is this a true sentence?
Question 2: Is this the only description (ToE) which fit this process? Not
that the ToE does not have a certain elegance of simplicity. But nothing of
its rightness suggests exhaustiveness or exclusivity in its description of
the "evolutionary" process. Is that not so?
----------------------------------------------
None of this appears tautological to me. I have read philosophy for 45 of my
60 years. I graduated from sixth grade in 1952. Maybe I would have understood
it better then. :-)
I can tell it's Friday afternoon,
Jerry.
____________________________
Jerry L. Archibald
systemObjectivesIncorporated
____________________________
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