Re: James Mark Baldwin: "A New Factor in Evolution"

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 14:03:37 +1000, John Wilkins <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

<snip discussion relating this mathematics to the Baldwin effect>

> Let's say it takes time T1 and >resources R1 ....
> ... It takes time T2 and resources R2 ...
>
>If (T1+R1)>>(T2+R2) then ...

This is the problem with philosophers trying to get all quantitative.
It has the appearance of precision argument but none of the trappings.
For example, you can't add T1 to R1 unless both are expressed in the
same units of measurement. Therefore your mathematical expression --
and your entire argument -- does not make sense.

<snip discussion of humans inverting the Baldwin effect, replacing
genetically determined behavior with learned and culturally acquired>

>The problem with using the human case is that it is in effect begging the
>question. Most species are not cultural, and the cost of having a
>culture-ready brain is nontrivial. So far as I can tell, only some passerine
>birds, cetaceans, primates and a few others are cultural. It *is* true that
>culture can more quickley evolve, but then you also have the costs of error
>correction and transmission time per individual lifetime. For example, if all
>humans had to have PhDs in order to reproduce, I bet the species would go
>extinct pretty rapidly...

Exactly. That is why humans are so successful. For whatever
evolutionary reason, we have paid the enormous infrastructure cost of
evolving a culture-ready brain capable of enormous feats of learning
and memory. And it has paid off enormously in producing a species
capable of debating its own existence on talk origins (among other
benefits).

And if humans had to have PhDs in order to reproduce, then our
graduate schools would necessarily have to expand enormously. Just
think of the job opportunities!

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: James Mark Baldwin: "A New Factor in Evolution"
    ... > <snip discussion relating this mathematics to the Baldwin effect> ... > <snip discussion of humans inverting the Baldwin effect, ... >>humans had to have PhDs in order to reproduce, I bet the species would go ... > evolving a culture-ready brain capable of enormous feats of learning ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The Baldwin Effect: What is it trying to say?
    ... > William Morse wrote: ... >> lactose in adult humans in several different populations of humans in ... >> suddenly made the ability to digest lactose as an adult a significant ... With the Baldwin effect, while we can guess when it is involved it may be ...
    (sci.bio.evolution)
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