Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Ms. Siv · 01-17-2002, 03:56 AM

The post wich originally appeared here was copied wholesale from <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020113wo41.htm" target="_blank">this page</a>, without attributation. Copyright violations are not acceptable on this site - please read the <a href="http://www.infidels.org/infidels/forumrules.html" target="_blank">Forum Rules and Policies</a>.

Pantera

[ January 18, 2002: Message edited by: Pantera ]</p>

Mageth · 01-17-2002, 07:04 AM

Mods:

Here's a <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020113wo41.htm" target="_blank">link</a> to the above copyrighted article. (which was also posted in another forum).

Huginn · 01-17-2002, 08:12 AM

I'll have to remember this quote:

Quote:

Darwinism shouldn't be used as a justification for anything. Darwinism is just the explanation of how life came to be the way it is. That doesn't mean we have to follow it.

Ms. Siv · 01-18-2002, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Huginn:
<strong>I'll have to remember this quote:

</strong>

Very true.

Many people try and justify a lot of things (including meat eating and extreme capitalism) based on Darwinism (we are carnivores by nature, might is right etc).

- Sivakami.

Vitae · 01-18-2002, 07:49 PM

Quote:

We could say that war is helped by a biological tendency to identify 'in groups' and 'out of groups'; to identify with people who belong in your own group and feel hostility to anyone who belongs in the wrong group

There is some experimental evidence of this. Experiments have been set up which take some sort of society, such as a school or a prison, and arbitrarily divide people into two groups, called the greens and the blues. There is nothing different about them except some are told they are greens and the others are old that they are blues. Maybe they might wear a green or blue uniform. They begin by just playing games against each other, perhaps football or some kind of intellectual game. After a while it develops into a kind of extreme hostility between the greens and the blues. There does seem to be a strong biological tendency in humans to identify with a team or group to fight against another team or group

If you take such a society in this experiment and then introduce 'illusory dichotomies' such as the division of green and blue and also proceed to encourage and reward them to be 'part of their team' or 'herd' and show 'team spirit' regardless of the 'illusory division based merely on colour' which exists;

THEN I ask, is it a BIOLOGICAL or a SOCIETAL/ENVIRONMENTAL milleu/tendency that is being created for the directional preferential expression of certain biological tendencies as opposed to others?

It impossible to separate genes from environment therefore this experiment provides no evidence at all for 'biological tendency' as a separate entity to environmental/cultural tendency.

worldcitizen

Vorkosigan · 01-19-2002, 06:32 AM

Not getting much response, so I'm moving it to a more rowdy forum

Michael

01-17-2002, 03:56 AM	#1
Ms. Siv Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: India Posts: 2,340	Religion, group affiliation at root of conflicts : An interview with Richard Dawkins. The post wich originally appeared here was copied wholesale from <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020113wo41.htm" target="_blank">this page</a>, without attributation. Copyright violations are not acceptable on this site - please read the <a href="http://www.infidels.org/infidels/forumrules.html" target="_blank">Forum Rules and Policies</a>. Pantera [ January 18, 2002: Message edited by: Pantera ]</p>

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01-17-2002, 07:04 AM	#2
Mageth Contributor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Deep in the heart of mother-lovin' Texas Posts: 29,689	Mods: Here's a <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020113wo41.htm" target="_blank">link</a> to the above copyrighted article. (which was also posted in another forum).

01-19-2002, 06:32 AM	#6
Vorkosigan Contributor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrayar Posts: 11,866	Not getting much response, so I'm moving it to a more rowdy forum Michael

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