Aquatic Ape – Attacked Again

Posted on 2016-09-23 by arjaybe

David Attenborough’s latest BBC documentary indulges wishful thinking over evidence.

Internet magazine, The Conversation, has published an article by authors Alice Roberts and Mark Maslin entitled “Sorry David Attenborough, we didn’t evolve from ‘aquatic apes’ — here’s why.” They begin by claiming that the Aquatic Ape Theory (AAT) suggests that a whole raft of our biological features stem from an aquatic phase in our evolution. Then they go on to imply that the “hypothesis” says that everything about those features could only have come about due to time spent in the water. Once they have set up this implausible falsehood, they proceed to cherry-pick it apart, beginning with the fact that the “hypothesis” had its beginnings a long time ago, and we’ve learned a lot since. They imply that the AAT is the plaything of fuzzy-thinking amateurs, while they represent clear-headed professionalism. In other words, it’s the same old thing all over again, only from a new generation of Savanna apologists.

Like their predecessors, they portray the AAT as an unscientific Just So Story, and say that all of the anatomical features can just as easily be attributed to other hypotheses. We’re left to presume that these other hypotheses are not Just So Stories, but Real Science. They run through all their Straw Men, showing that there are plausible explanations for all of them, thus implying that the Aquatic Ape explanations are not plausible. Then they accuse the proponents of the AAT of trying to use it to explain everything. That’s a typical ploy. You ask your opponent to support their argument, then when they’ve done so, you accuse them of overdoing it. It’s very handy. Either they don’t have enough, or they have too much. You simply ignore the sweet spot in between, all the while highlighting the weaker arguments and ignoring the stronger ones.

Their conclusion is nothing more than a reiteration of their opinions and beliefs. There’s nothing new here. It’s just the same old thing dressed up in new clothes. They say they’re making use of new knowledge and new ideas, but it’s obvious they’ve restricted themselves to those they agree with.

See for yourself.

Source: Sorry David Attenborough, we didn’t evolve from ‘aquatic apes’ – here’s why

rjb

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What are the Odds He’s Left-handed?

Posted on 2016-09-17 by arjaybe
Credit Podzo di Borgo - CC-BY-SA

Credit Podzo di Borgo – CC-BY-SA

A while back I was sitting with some friends and relatives and we were having a conversation. We were talking about creative people. Writers, actors, dancers, etc. We were remembering how it seemed like in the olden days actors all had to be able to sing and dance as well. Acting well wasn’t enough. You had to be able to do it all.

One of my relatives said, “I know a guy who’s both an actor and a dancer.” Good. Someone keeping up the tradition.

As a complete non sequitur, I said, “Oh, what are the odds he’s left-handed?” I thought the odds were pretty good because it seems like a higher than average percentage of creative people are left-handed. Not very scientific, and not really supported by evidence either, but a harmless pop culture conversation. So far, so good.

But I lied to you. That’s not what I said. What I said was, “Oh, what are the odds he’s gay?” Uh-oh. Not so harmless anymore, is it?

So, why am I saying this? Why am I outing myself as a completely reprehensible human being? Well, I’m not. I don’t think there’s any difference between saying, “What are the odds he’s left-handed?” and “What are the odds he’s gay?” And not just because it seems like a higher than average percentage of creative people are gay, too. Another pop culture observation, also unsupported and likely untrue, but reliable conversation fodder.

To me, there’s nothing wrong with saying it. To me, those two phrases are equivalent. What is wrong is that we think they’re different, and as long as we think that, then we’re not where we need to be as a society.

What do you think?

rjb

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20 Big Questions about the Future of Humanity

Posted on 2016-09-14 by arjaybe

Scientific American has asked some scientists what they call “20 big questions about the future of humanity.” Not all of the questions are strictly about humans, but most of them are, and I think we can forgive them for those that are not. They’re still interesting questions.

We asked leading scientists to predict the future. Here’s what they had to say

Interestingly, they begin with the question, “Does humanity have a future beyond Earth?” Lifting the eyes, I guess. Setting the tone to think beyond the mundane. They asked Martin Rees, an established and well-respected British cosmologist and astrophysicist. To paraphrase his answer: yes, sort of, eventually.

I think it’s a dangerous delusion to envisage mass emigration from Earth. There’s nowhere else in the solar system that’s as comfortable as even the top of Everest or the South Pole. We must address the world’s problems here. Nevertheless, I’d guess that by the next century, there will be groups of privately funded adventurers living on Mars and thereafter perhaps elsewhere in the solar system. We should surely wish these pioneer settlers good luck in using all the cyborg techniques and biotech to adapt to alien environments. Within a few centuries they will have become a new species: the posthuman era will have begun. Travel beyond the solar system is an enterprise for posthumans, organic or inorganic.

Another question I found interesting has to do with consciousness, and whether we’ll ever understand it. The answer is not the usual one.

Some philosophers, mystics and other confabulatores nocturne (simply, people who make up stories in the night time – rjb) pontificate about the impossibility of ever understanding the true nature of consciousness, of subjectivity. Yet there is little rationale for buying into such defeatist talk and every reason to look forward to the day, not that far off, when science will come to a naturalized, quantitative and predictive understanding of consciousness and its place in the universe.

One of the questions that isn’t strictly about humans has to do with extraterrestrial life. I suppose it is about us in a way because the discovery of extraterrestrial life, or the prolonged lack of discovery, will affect us profoundly. I like this answer because it almost perfectly recapitulates what I said in my post, “Alien Life on Titan.”

If there is abundant microbial life on Mars, I suspect that we will find it within 20 years … Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Titan are more compelling places. Europa is a water world where more complex forms of life may have evolved. And Titan is probably the most interesting place in the solar system to look for life. It is rich in organic molecules but very cold and has no liquid water; if life exists on Titan, it will be very different from life on Earth.

There are many more questions and many more interesting answers in the linked Scientific American article. They discuss the brain, which is getting a lot of interest from researchers right now. Will greater knowledge of the brain affect criminal law? Will we ever figure out afflictions like schizophrenia and autism? Then there’s the planet itself. Can we stop Earth’s sixth great extinction? Spoiler alert: scientists tend by their nature to be optimistic people. Follow the link and check out the article for yourself. You might find it stimulates some questions in your own mind.

Source: 20 Big Questions about the Future of Humanity – Scientific American

rjb

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