Thursday, September 16, 2010
Why we don't need to look at the fossil record to establish that the theory of evolution is probably true
1. Human fingernails are obviously vestigial claws that have no function.
2. Why is the eye so flawed, and why does it have a gaping blind spot where the optic nerve is?
3. What use is the appendix in modern humans?
4. Why do we get goosebumps if we no longer have thick enough hair to be intimidating in the same way that chimps are to their peers?
5. Why do we have a tail bone?
6. Why do dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans have hand and finger bones in their fins?
7. Why do bats have similar bones in their wings?
8. Why do male mammals have nipples?
9. Why are bird genomes much more similar to dinosaur genomes than reptile genomes are to dinosaur genomes?
10. For "half an eye" arguments: Is there ever a point at which a developing fetus has "half a head" inside the womb? After all, the head is too complex to have come from just a sperm and egg cell! Feathers may have initially evolved for the purpose of regulating temperature; organs and body parts do not have to maintain a singular function throughout their tenures, so rudimentary precursors to the eye needn't have been an "eye" in the sense that we think of them today.
Posted by Leaving Society at 6:57 PM No comments:
The problem of sentient life in a nutshell
1. Objects of desire are chased indefinitely but are never truly obtained. This chase does not accomplish anything of any importance, and instead is only kept up in order for organisms to produce copies of themselves. Furthermore, the intermittent and temporary state of satisfaction merely fills a hole and brings the sum back to zero; it never actually generates a real positive.
2. Should deprivations remain untreated long enough, suffering will result. Likewise, suffering from other environmental factors is inevitable as well. Why are we punished for not obtaining the objects of our desires, given 1.?
3. The ephemeral glimpses of satisfaction that we're all offered in life are of mere physical objects or other mundane phenomena -- never the idea of the object of desire. The idea of such objects cannot be obtained; only the objects themselves can be, and they're always pale imitations of the ideas that our psychologies actually crave.
Posted by Leaving Society at 6:54 PM 1 comment:
1 comment:
AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 10:03 AM
4.This blog was created by a(nominally) sentient organism.
Thoughts over feelings
I've made a short list of common examples of the interplay between human psychology and human intelligence, emphasizing what kind of pitfalls many people are prone to entering and how to avoid them. If you agree with most or all of these examples, then it's likely that you understand that feelings, emotions, and desires are dangerously exclusive and subjective.
1. We dislike the taste of broccoli, but we know that it's good for us.
2. We're attracted to the bad boy, but we know that he's an asshole and not worth our time.
3. We're repulsed by a hideously obese man, but we know that making fun of him to his face would be wrong.
4. We're sexually attracted to a female friend, but we know that our male friend is a more logical and interesting individual, and thus someone worth spending more time with.
5. We prefer meat to vegetables, but we know that keeping animals in cages for months before brutally slaughtering them is vile behavior.
6. We think that wild polar bears are beautiful animals, but we know not to go near them lest they attack us.
7. We've been raised to want to be the best at competitive diving, but we know that it's not worth hitting our head on the cement and ending up paralyzed for life.
8. We love what alcohol does to our brains, but we know that we'll become irresponsible and erratic while under the influence.
9. We're genetically inclined to want to get pregnant, but we know that our child will eventually die -- possibly quite horribly, or at least after having experienced a mediocre or horrible life.
10. The idea of a universe designed by an intelligent creator is much more emotionally appealing to us than the idea of a universe devoid of original purpose, but we know that the evidence weighs against there being a creator.
11. We become very uncomfortable while sitting in the dark alone at night, but we know that it's no more likely that a supernatural entity or unwanted intruder would be near us then than during the daytime.
Posted by Leaving Society at 4:04 AM 1 comment
1 comment:
AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 10:04 AM
12. We want to write a stupid blog about getting rid of bad memes, but we use our brains to realize that it is a stupid fucking idea that only a complete idiot would follow through on.
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