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Gravitycollapse

(8,155 posts)
Fri Oct 25, 2013, 04:31 AM Oct 2013

Just a quick note on the Republican take on evolution/nature...

I've run into a good number of Republicans talking about how left-wing social ideology runs counter to "Darwinian" evolution. They tend to argue that by adopting progressive social positions, like supporting LGBTQers, unshaved female armpits and non-standard sexual attractiveness, we can somehow either lose the path of evolution or break evolution all together.

Case in point:

I'm arguing with a young Republican thug about why it's idiotic to demand that women shave their bodies or they will otherwise be considered sexually undesirable.

Young Republican:

Okay let's go down that road, Gravitycollapse. Let's say--- hypothetically--- that everybody achieves this "higher level", *beauty in all body images* mindset. Do you think that would be good for society and the human species as a whole? Everything is beautiful...nothing is ugly...an entire species floating without Darwinian direction or perspective. It's a pipe dream, Gravitycollapse. Come down from your high horse and back to reality.



Me:

Yeah, that's not how Darwinian evolution works. Just as you cannot escape the laws of thermodynamics, whatever you do as a creature of biological evolution, you are always functioning within the confines of evolutionary processes.

There is no physical law stating WE MUST procreate or WE MUST procreate with other humans of certain physical characteristics. Evolutionary processes describe trends or necessary features to the proliferation of a species. It does not say a certain species MUST proliferate and it does not say specific characteristics MUST be bred unless those characteristics are advantageous to the proliferation of the species.

If we as a species collectively begin making decisions that lead to our extinction, our extinction still followed the rules of evolution and natural selection. Just as all other biological extinctions still happened within those rules. Just as one would say we aren't defying the law of gravity by flying an airplane.

So maybe you should stop talking about things you very clearly don't understand.



What's important to point out here is that Republican essentialist rhetoric claims a knowledge of Darwinian evolution that it simply cannot possess. Their concept of evolution exists in some sort of realm managed by God where a will is known and we can go against that will. There is no will of biological evolution.

It follows very closely the "unnatural" arguments wielded against homosexuality. Everything that happens within nature is, by necessity, a natural process.
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Just a quick note on the Republican take on evolution/nature... (Original Post) Gravitycollapse Oct 2013 OP
No sweat. GeorgeGist Oct 2013 #1
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