RE: Rational belief
September 23, 2010 at 4:01 am
(This post was last modified: September 23, 2010 at 4:05 am by radames.)
(September 22, 2010 at 10:42 pm)Minimalist Wrote:Quote:Obviously evolution chose to bring about a higher level of intelligence in us
Evolution does not make "choices." Evolution rewards successful/useful traits by allowing them to reproduce to a greater extent than other traits.
Had the first sentient ape wasted its time praying to some fucking god instead of making flint tools it would have starved to death and we would not be having this conversation now.
Well, my choice of the word "chose" was in error and I realized this after I wrote my reply because, according to natural selection, traits that are acceptable to the environment are retained while others disappear. So, intelligence was a trait that fit perfectly in the environment and wasn't made extinct over the generations of selective processing. However I don't think that evolution "rewards" one trait over another because some naturally selected traits may or may not be beneficial toward the advancement of a species.
