Evolutionary Futures...

I like the idea that if whales die out, whether through natural or human causes, that birds might evolve to fill that environmental niche.  Huge whale-birds, swimming about the ocean, beaching themselves in order to lay eggs.  I predict that a possible (nay, probable!) path for these whale-birds is that eventually some will begin giving birth to live young.  Alternatively, they may begin to lay floating eggs, or egg clusters, which could be towed or attached by adhesives to the whale-birds.  The egg membranes would need to be efficient oxygen transporters so that the chicks would not suffocate in their submerged or partially-submerged temporary homes. 

Although I don’t think it is yet found in seabirds, there are species of birds capable of echolocation, so I don’t think it is unreasonable for a similar instance of convergent evolution to occur as the whale-birds hunt for food in the deep water.  It seems less likely (and of questionable utility) for them to develop infrared sensing capabilities.  However, many birds, seabirds included, are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field, and if this ability is sharpened and magnified perhaps some species of whale-birds might develop a shark-like ability to sense their prey’s electromagnetic field. 

I think that what fascinates me most about this idea is that I’m simply tickled by the idea of the descendants of dinosaurs eventually filling a niche as giant ocean-going predators.  It seems so weird and unlikely, but with the right selection pressures, opportunities, and a big ol’ helping of time it is perfectly possible and we can describe the mechanisms necessary for it to happen.  So it’s like magic, but a lot slower, fully explained,  and far more interesting.

It's been awhile

I haven't written in awhile, dear blog, because I've been cheating on you with homework, friends, and generally good times. However, I think I'll try to do this a little more in the future.

I saw an incredibly interesting presentation the other day by Graham Hancock. It's called Elves, Aliens, Angels and Ayahuasca. He presents some really interesting, if seemingly implausible, ideas concerning the connection between Shamanic/hallucinogenic visions, human evolution, and alternate dimensions. Weird and cool stuff. I can't quite bring myself to believe it, but I'd love for it to be true.

Here's the link, enjoy! http://www.disinfo.com/2010/10/graham-hancock-lecture-video-elves-aliens-angels-and-ayahuasca/

Faith: Virtue or Vice?

We all grew up (or so I imagine) hearing about the wonders of faith, and that we should always have a lot of it. That's all well and good when one is 5 but now we are old enough to critically examine what faith is, and whether or not it is truly a good thing. So come along with me as we grapple with the question: "What is faith?"

By definition (from dictionary.com): Faith, noun. 1. confidence or trust in a person or thing.
2. belief that is not based on proof.

So far so good for the first definition, but what's up with the second? That is saying believe what you are told, even without proof. Okay, I just made the sentence longer, but I think it illustrates the point better. You should be trusting. Interestingly, another word for trusting is naive, and another word for naive...gullible, adj. easily deceived or cheated. Hmmmm...moving on.

Okay, what does faith actually do in our lives? "Faith let's you move mountains" So that's good, a practical application for it! Watch out, pesky mountains! Oh, it's a metaphor... That's fine, what is it saying then? Believing something without proof will allow you to perform amazing feats. This sounds pretty good, except that without examples we have to take it on...faith. Wait a minute, athletes always attribute their victories to a god whom they have faith in (more on that later) so clearly it helped them win, right? Wrong, remember, almost everyone in this country prays to the same god, and yet not every team wins. In fact, the team that wins tends to be the team with the best players, who train the hardest and have better genetic dispositions towards whatever sport they happen to be playing. If faith moved mountains, no one would train, everyone would pray, because whoever prayed hardest would always win. On the other hand, amazing things do happen, which would be proof that faith works, except that catastrophes happen too, and you must have a lot of faith if you don't see those events as arbitrary.

Next, what should we have faith in? We are told (or at least I'm told on occasion) two main things: 1. Humanity, and 2. God. Let's start with humanity. Ahem, rape. murder. incest. robbery. abuse of every kind. lying. torture, and not just for information. war. "But Kyle, what about all the faith-based and secular charities?" Those are very nice, but let's be objective. Weigh the good done by people against the bad. Hell, even subjectively those scales aren't tippin' towards the nice stuff much. We are much better at the bad stuff, by the way. So good we've become lazy about violence. We can use one finger to squeeze a trigger and end a life, but if we're going to improve lives, well we better roll our sleeves up and put on some old clothes because things are going to get dirty. Well, dirty or expensive.
If we were good at being good, 18,000 children wouldn't die of hunger every day. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-17-un-hunger_x.htm
That's EVERY DAY people. And that's just hunger. Total children dead every day? 26,500. That's 1 child every 3 seconds. Almost TEN MILLION every year. TEN MILLION. What the FUCK?!
http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-over-26500-children-died-around-the-world

Alright, before I go on a side rant let's get to point dos (2). God. If the fact that about 18 children died since I started this paragraph doesn't sway you, I'll try some logic. There is a reason faith is so important to religion. There is a reason you are asked to take the stories on faith, to believe in God on faith. If there were proof of these things (any proof, mind you) then you wouldn't need faith. That is faith's sole purpose, to make people believe something unbelievable. Why is it a virtue? Because if believing in something for which there is no proof was not given an exalted status, no one in their right mind would do it. Here's the beauty of it though. Any attack on faith only serves to make the believer believe more! They are so well trained that even evidence AGAINST the belief is rejected, and seen as a "test" of their faith. If this logic (or lack thereof) was applied to our everyday life we would all be buying used cars that barely ran, with their running seen as a miracle, their breaking down as our fault for not having enough faith, and their shittiness just a one of the qualities which makes them pure and good. "The salesman said this car was perfect, but it broke down right out of the lot! I must have done something wrong with it, I'd better go apologize and buy a new one!" Also...TEN MILLION CHILDREN, every year. I hear that he's good, well I'm not seeing it. The Lord works in sadistic ways, apparently. Mysterious ways means you don't understand them, meaning that either 1. you're too dumb, or 2. There are no reasons except the natural one's...I'd be willing to bet that those children are dying every year due to lack of food, medicine and other necessary items. I don't think I'd want to figure out why God is killing 10 million children every year because that is not a god I want to be close to!

Sorry, side rant.

In conclusion, any ideal that asks you to lose or set aside your own intelligence (assuming you have some) in order to believe something is no virtue. Any ideal that defends itself not with reason and facts but sheer stubborn disregard for those things is not the ideal of a thinking person, but rather of a child who won't admit something is their fault. Faith is no virtue. It is a vice. The vice of the fool who would rather stick his fingers in his ears and yell than admit he might be wrong. Faith is the vice of the lazy person who cannot be bothered to step back from what she was taught and ask if it makes sense. Lastly, faith is the refuge of the scoundrel, the bully, the terrorist, and if you think that your faith is different you are right. The terrorist's faith is stronger, because he truly believes what is said in the holy books, that's all fundamentalists are.

If you have faith, examine it closely, and if your beliefs are valid, then you are justified. But if they are not, then to keep them is to do a disservice to yourself and everyone you know, especially your future children, who won't know any better but to take what you say on faith.

Mostly Irrelevant: Part 3. What is relevant?

The laws of nature. Not kill-or-be-killed laws, I mean gravity, strong and weak nuclear forces...You know, all that fun atomic physics stuff. If these things did not work the way they did, your past would not have happened. If your past had not happened, your present would not be happening. You would not exist. Could you exist in another form? No, that would not be you now would it? Your memories would be different, your thoughts different, your "you-ness" would be gone.

Yep, that's the important stuff, because it is the only stuff that made you and now possible. Those laws allow for the formation of matter and, to skip all of the important happenings in between, the creation and transmitting of information through cellular processes, which is what life is pretty much all about...and by life I mean biology, not your existence. That's enough for now.

Mostly Irrelevant: The Settling (part 2)

I am writing this particular installment using my own experiences to make a point. It is a subjectively observed, but objectively analyzed, I did my best.

There are a few characteristics of mine which, once known, will make the following post easier to understand, if not easier to agree with.
I prefer objectivity to subjectivity. I enjoy knowing things. I need proof to agree with statements, or at the least some excellent reasoning. I am a hard determinist. I have seen no evidence for gods, and so don't believe in them. My sense of perspective causes me to see most everyday problems as insignificant, and sometimes the people who are involved in those problems as well. I think that faith is a vice. I enjoy comparing things to the rest of the known universe when deciding importance. I will always concede the point if I am wrong, as long as the evidence is conclusive...being loud doesn't mean you are right. I live in Ohio, the son of caring, if unimaginative and religious parents, who disagree with nearly everything stated above...except for the living in Ohio part.

That might cover it.

Now then, I mentioned to my friend Will that enjoy talking to our mutual friend Molly about my philosophical leanings because I feel that she actually is interested in what I have to say. She brings up good arguments, doesn't just agree with me if the point is flimsy, things like that. It is a rare occurrence for me to talk to someone who is not only in agreement with much of what I think, but wants to talk about it. My family does not care in the least about philosophy, particularly my thoughts on it, because if they thought about these things, my conclusions would be repulsive to them. I am an atheist among theists, a (oddly enough) socially-oriented liberal kilt-wearer among every-way conservatives. A determinist among free-willians (awesome).

How does this apply to the title? Just as I considered how irrelevant my career will be, I have also considered how irrelevant I myself am. Ignoring the cosmos for a moment because we are all irrelevant in comparison to the heavenly abyss, I am irrelevant because, idealogically speaking, I represent something to be ignored. Most of my friends are willing to take the conversation only so far, far enough to express their views, but not so far that they might have to change them. Nearly everything that I find fundamental and important is considered frivolous to the people around me. Not only is it frivolous, it is purposefully ignored. It makes people uncomfortable to address questions which might make them reconsider their worldview. I'm not even saying I'm right, or that they might actually have to rethink anything. Oh, also, philosophy on its own, without a classroom or a book deal will not make you money. So, you know, what good is it?

Okay, I've begun to ramble. I may not have quite made my point, but I imagine that should you have made it this far, you're more grateful for the ending than interested in that elusive point anyway. Wait, I got it: A large percentage of people are uninterested in what I have to say, I effect few lives, and in a limited scope. Ergo, I have little relevance to the world.

Part 3 coming soon, in which I hold forth on things which in my opinion are relevant.

Mostly Irrelevant: The Revelation, part I

I don't often think about my place in the world. I tend to think that I have pinned down my niche, and humanity's in general, and after a brief burst of neuronal activity I let it go. After several recent conversations with good friends however, I have been coaxed into looking closer at how my personal life actually fits into the fabric of...well, everything.

It began as I rode in the passenger seat of my friend Adam's car. We were heading down to Akron for some beer, burgers, and generally good times. Being intelligent, we always have good conversations about bio-mechanics and business ideas, relationships and robots. I happened to make a comment about how dangerous speaking in absolutes could be, after doing just that, when Adam told me I was losing touch. Fortunately it was due to a misunderstanding, he thought that I didn't believe there were any absolutes at all, but I disabused him of that notion. The second part is what really struck me though, he questioned my interest in philosophy in general, wondering if it was "relevant". I have to admit, and I did then, that when all is accounted for, it is not relevant. It can change lives positively or negatively, but most people go through their entire lives without thinking about philosophy, or only holding the philosophy they hold because of what they've been told to think (by upbringing, social class, etc.) It is not necessary. More than any other field of study, philosophy seeks out the questions which are beyond most people, and consequently is irrelevant to those people. Those people, like it or not, control the businesses and other major aspects of our lives...making philosophy unnecessary to us at the least. There it is, my chosen profession is unnecessary, and generally irrelevant, but it is what I like...tune in later to see my conversation with Will about my personal life!

Another nail in the proverbial coffin.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714104000.htm

For those of us who don't feel like reading the article, I will summarize. The Monarch Flycatcher bird on the Solomon Islands is undergoing a genetic split which is causing speciation. The bird is literally evolving into two distinct species right before the eyes of the scientific community. After a mutation caused the birds on the smaller islands to develop chestnut colored breast plumage, the all black Flycatchers have ceased to see males with chestnut feathers as a reproductive threat, and vice versa. If they are no longer reproducing between the populations, their genetics will continue to diverge, creating larger gaps than simple color. I'd like to take this time to remind everyone that the 'Theory of Evolution' is a fact, and that it is called a theory because it uses facts to create a broad explanation of how the world works. No matter what the origins of life were, evolution is not a deniable hypothesis. It has been observed working in viruses, bacteria, rats, birds, and other animals. It would take great faith to deny all of the evidence (I know I didn't present it all here, I have a life, you look it up), but should you manage to do that, congrats, I'm sure your ignorance truly is bliss.