Evolution and Commerce Options

[trojan_libido]

Evolution involves mutation of a physical form, which is then subject to natural selection which basically filters out the negative mutations (useless limbs, heridetary disease etc.). Many people, myself included, believe this concept goes further than physical form, and has ramifications in group behavior and cultural pressures.

But what I feel is most interesting and important is the correlation between biological Evolution and the Evolution of ideas. This is most apparent in the development of business and commercial products. When an idea is beneficial by way of improvement to efficiency or a new method of doing something, money is poured into it and the idea becomes reality. Money, if you look at the bigger picture, is simply a symptom of focused energy. This focus is not placed on research and inventions that will not further our world. 'Stupid' ideas die off, 'Stupid' mutations are naturally selected out.

The same process seems to be occuring, the beast within Commerce is the same as the natural process Lifeforms go through before they ever become sentient.

[code buttons]

But you must always factor in the "necessary" evil that goes with your evolutions equation so you can account for the sofistication of man-made weaponery from sticks and rocks to WMD, for instance.

[trojan_libido]

Yes Code Buttons your right, the evil is as necessary as the good, otherwise our Universe would be static. This is why I referred to commerce as a 'Beast', because it really is a double edged sword. We all know that oil is an excellent resource, but its also one of the most polluting. Even with this knowledge there are very few people who will cycle to work rather than pollute.

[jim-stock]

Not all genetic change is good, and the mechanism that weeds out the positive changes from negative changes is natural selection

[Hey Hey]

Not all genetic change is good, and the mechanism that weeds out the positive changes from negative changes is natural selection

So what weeds out Down's Syndrome?

The statement 'Not all genetic change is good' is unscientific and worthless. Any genetic change could be, as you put it 'good' dependent upon the environmental circumstance that it appears within. For example four arms but no legs could be an advantageous morphology for humans that find themselves living permanently on a space station orbiting the Earth on on extended space travel. The same morphology could be disadvantageous in a terrestrial environment with gravity. Having said that, a temporary disadvantageous form might provide an evolutionary route to an advantageous form that might not have been available via other intermediates.

The simplistic explanations are of no value here and should be weeded out by natural selection!

[Hey Hey]

Evolution involves mutation of a physical form, which is then subject to natural selection which basically filters out the negative mutations (useless limbs, heridetary disease etc.). Many people, myself included, believe this concept goes further than physical form, and has ramifications in group behavior and cultural pressures.

But what I feel is most interesting and important is the correlation between biological Evolution and the Evolution of ideas. This is most apparent in the development of business and commercial products. When an idea is beneficial by way of improvement to efficiency or a new method of doing something, money is poured into it and the idea becomes reality. Money, if you look at the bigger picture, is simply a symptom of focused energy. This focus is not placed on research and inventions that will not further our world. 'Stupid' ideas die off, 'Stupid' mutations are naturally selected out.

The same process seems to be occuring, the beast within Commerce is the same as the natural process Lifeforms go through before they ever become sentient.

Memes. See Dawkins and Blackmore.

[Rick]

So what weeds out Down's Syndrome?

People with Down's Syndrome are slightly less desirable as mates and will have a lower probability of reproducing. Given enough time, the genetic anomaly may eventually become extinct.

[Hey Hey]

So what weeds out Down's Syndrome?

People with Down's Syndrome are slightly less desirable as mates and will have a lower probability of reproducing. Given enough time, the genetic anomaly may eventually become extinct.

Down's is caused by a chromosomal abnormality (a trisomy due to a nondisjunction of chromosome 21 during cell division, or a translocation of part of chromosome 21 to chromosome 14). Although a person with a translocation may appear physically normal, he or she has a greater risk of producing a child with an extra 21st chromosome. Whether the physically normal appearance belies other (disadvantageous) features that can affect fecundity is beyond my knowledge. But the fact that the individuals could attract a mate and reproduce means that the condition can managed to pass down at least one generation successfully. The only factor known to affect the probability of having a baby with Down syndrome is maternal age.

[Rick]

For that reason, older pregnant women's fetuses are screened for Downs' and aborted when found, generally, except in the case of stupidity in the woman (e.g., Sarah Palin). I've known people with Down's. They're not sexy.