Seal Hunt

Well, you seem to imply that the function creates the organ, and not the other way around (as it is), if I understood you correctly.

Man (as a species) may well be controlling Gaia somehow, but we shouldn't forget that he's also part of this massive ecosystem and most probably not at the end of its evolution (I see a trend in "devolution" in our species, actually, but that's probably just my pessimistic nature). However, it is not impossible that a new species will arise with time and cut us another arsehole, so to speak. Then we'll end up like the Neanderthals -- slowly but steadily driven to extinction.


Sorry, I haven't got much time to argument much more on this one, as I'm pretty busy with Lord of the Flies (a great book that you should all read, as it concern human nature [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/happy.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\"^_^\" border=\"0\" alt=\"happy.gif\" /] ).
 
And I indeed have read many times in the past. Well, the simple fact is that we are pretty much done evolving because we don't need to anymore. We have evolved the stuff we need to not need to. De-evolution is something I know where you're coming from...however, if another species pops up, chances are we won't evolve to face it. We'll either gun it down or be gunned down...not quite evolution.
 
[!--quoteo(post=131302:date=Mar 9 2006, 03:57 PM:name=Maverick)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Maverick @ Mar 9 2006, 03:57 PM) [snapback]131302[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
Then we'll end up like the Neanderthals -- slowly but steadily driven to extinction.[/quote]

Who knows? Maybe a new species will arise, but we might as well coexist with them or drive them into exinction. I don't want to glorify man, but he has been able to survive even himself. That is where most other species stop.

[!--quoteo(post=131304:date=Mar 9 2006, 04:00 PM:name=LooseCannon)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(LooseCannon @ Mar 9 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]131304[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
And I indeed have read many times in the past. Well, the simple fact is that we are pretty much done evolving because we don't need to anymore.[/quote]

Who tells you that we have stopped evolving? You are speaking of a time frame of perhaps 100,000 years, whereas a proper evolution requires millions of years and hundreds of generations. Human evolution may have slowed down, but it has certainly not stopped. In fact, if you, a white westerner sitting by the ocean believe that you're part of the highest evolved animal population, you are mistaken. The highest evolved population in mankind is the Han Chinese. Han Chinese have no perspiratory glands (what do we need those for anyway?), a stronger sense of smell and age considerably slower. Unless we "interact" increasingly with Chinese (not that I would have a problem with that), "we westerners" are still thousands of years away from that.
 
Well, this is all very interesting but there is apparently a huge gap between our way of formulating things. This is due to the fact that we all have different education etc. As a biologist, I'm using the scientific definition of evolution and food chain. Evolution has no end (until there's something alive) and no goal. It mustn't be confounded with complexification. Food chain only applies to savage beings.
But there are many different ways to consider our position in the universe.... [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":D\" border=\"0\" alt=\"biggrin.gif\" /]
 
[!--quoteo(post=131311:date=Mar 9 2006, 04:09 PM:name=Big Brother Siemens)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Big Brother Siemens @ Mar 9 2006, 04:09 PM) [snapback]131311[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]The internet site selected by you was blocked by the internet filter which was introduced against abuse of the internet.

Internet adress:http://www.tantra.com/kamasutra_positions.html
Category: Pornography[/quote]

Prat [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":P\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]
 
[!--quoteo(post=131313:date=Mar 9 2006, 04:15 PM:name=Perun)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Perun @ Mar 9 2006, 04:15 PM) [snapback]131313[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
Prat [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":P\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]
[/quote]
Ho boy! This is not porn, this is information [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":D\" border=\"0\" alt=\"biggrin.gif\" /]
 
[!--quoteo(post=130607:date=Mar 4 2006, 05:19 AM:name=SinisterMinisterX)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(SinisterMinisterX @ Mar 4 2006, 05:19 AM) [snapback]130607[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
The fundamental flaw in McCartney's thinking on this issue is the idea that animals should have the same rights and protections as humans. Wrong. We humans are on top of both the evolutionary ladder and the food chain. I don't approve of cruelty to animals for the mere sake of cruelty, but hunting generally isn't cruel. Even if it hurts the animal before its death, hunting has a higher purpose which outweighs any animal pain.

Musicians should stay out of politics unless they are willing to do some real productive work. Bob Geldof and Bono are examples of musicians who have been doing real work for their causes, not just spouting off. I'm not saying musicians shouldn't address political issues in their songs; that's fine. But McCartney's style of making a speech and then retreating to his castle is a load of garbage.

In fact, McCartney should retire from public life completely. He hasn't released a good album since the 1970s. I've heard all his albums, and most are crap. He was great with the Beatles because he had the support of Lennon and Harrison. On his own, he's made very few listenable songs.
[/quote]
A fundamental flaw in SMX's thinking is the idea that McCartney's solo career is crap. I think he's done brilliant work throughout and I enjoy his work far more than Lennon's pseudo-hipie, self-indulgent crap. [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":D\" border=\"0\" alt=\"biggrin.gif\" /]

And on the 'top of the food chain' thing... that is not quite true. We're there because we can create tools the other animals can't yet put a man one on one with a bear... the bear wins, a wolf... the wolf wins... a lion, tiger...elephant (he'll just kill you but won't eat you)... in the water with a shark... you get the picture. I don't think we are fighting fairly and our claim as the kings of the food chain is bogus.
 
Onhell, you're basically saying that intelligence and tool-making skills aren't "fair" for survival. How come a hairless ape, with no claws and fangs to speak of, has ended up dominating the whole planet then? [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/sleep.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\"-_-\" border=\"0\" alt=\"sleep.gif\" /]
 
No it's not fair, think of it as "home field advantage" Animals are not dumb by any means, however it is because we are so smart that we figured out using spears, rocks, guns was a better way to survive, however that doesn't place us "on top of the food chain" because left on our own, without spears, rocks or guns we are pretty much fair game for any large predator.
 
But isn't anything which comes from our intellect (a natural phenomenon), natural as well?
What's the differences among a beehive, and ant hill, and a human home, for example? All of them were made from materials the critters found in nature, right?
 
[!--quoteo(post=131385:date=Mar 10 2006, 03:43 AM:name=IronDuke)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(IronDuke @ Mar 10 2006, 03:43 AM) [snapback]131385[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
But isn't anything which comes from our intellect (a natural phenomenon), natural as well? [/quote]

That has yet to be proven. 2001 anyone? [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\";)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"wink.gif\" /]

Jokes apart, we're starting nitpicking here again. The general concensus is that there is a sepparation between natural and manmade. For the ease of discussion, people have agreed on this, just like they have agreed on north being on top and south at the bottom or that anti-Semitism only describes hatred towards Jews, although if we were picky we could successfully challenge all of the above.
 
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