RE: Sheldrake (MD economics of want and greed 4)

From: Ian Glendinning (ian@psybertron.org)
Date: Sun Sep 14 2003 - 20:09:51 BST

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    David,

    This includes an example of the statements that caused me to jump to the
    defense of Darwin.

    You said
    Is it really a dog eat dog world? Do nice guys really finish last? Last in
    what, exactly? As Lily Tomlin says, the problem with the rat race is that
    even if you win, you're still just a rat.

    I say
    Briliant stuff, but the myth in there is that ...
    Darwinism = dog-eat-dog = rat-race.
    In an environment which favours "nice guys",
    and being "nice" is heritable,
    Darwinism predicts generations of nice guys prosper.

    So where's the problem with Darwin.
    He can hardly be blamed for the environment we find ourselves in.

    But we can.
    The good news for us humans is the Darwinian ability to evolve culturally
    and intellectually and change our environment.
    We can even make good-guy-MOQ heritable too.
    That's why I'm here (on this board) :-)
    Come on you good guys !

    Ian Glendinning

    -----Original Message-----
    From: owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk
    [mailto:owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk]On Behalf Of David Buchanan
    Sent: 13 September 2003 21:59
    To: 'moq_discuss@moq.org'
    Subject: RE: Sheldrake (MD economics of want and greed 4)

    Andy, David and all:

    David MOREY said to Andy:
    I have had a thought, are you in the US?
    We have a particular problem on the island
    that gave us Darwin with populist
    neo-Darwinists. If your non-uk, you won't
    realise the trouble we have been having &
    why we keep going on and on.

    dmb says:
    As Andy mentioned, fundamentalism is quite a problem in the U.S., but I
    think that social darwinism is troublesome here too. (The two views
    contradict each other in many ways, but they are both major factions within
    the Republican party.) If you're interested, Richard Hofstadter's "Social
    Darwinism in American Thought" is worth a look. Is it really a dog eat dog
    world? Do nice guys really finish last? Last in what, exactly? As Lily
    Tomlin says, the problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're
    still just a rat.

    Etc.

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