On Dec 4, 2007, at 8:22 PM, Nick Arnett wrote: > For example, how does the anthropic principle (which I suspect the > math of > complexity hints at) fit into this discussion? Intuitively, I'm > tempted to > believe that if Darwinism was all there is, we wouldn't be here to > observe > the universe. But how can one prove the anthropic principle without > a few > other universes available as examples?
Anthropic principle aside, sexual selection might go a pretty decent way toward explaining why we have such vastly oversized brains with which to observe the universe, make deductions and inferences about it, and contemplate a nice cup of gyokuro tea. Sexual selection in birds, for instance, appears to be the "reason" for a peacock's tail; an analogous mechanism in primates might have led to a positive feedback loop that resulted in a ludicrously disproportionate enlarging of the brain. So, alas, size might matter after all. BTW, are you referring to the strong or weak anthropic model? -- Warren Ockrassa Blog | http://indigestible.nightwares.com/ Books | http://books.nightwares.com/ Web | http://www.nightwares.com/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
