On Wednesday, April 9, 2014 12:47:01 PM UTC-4, telmo_menezes wrote: > > > > > On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 6:09 PM, Craig Weinberg > <[email protected]<javascript:> > > wrote: > >> >> >> On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 6:51:13 PM UTC-4, Liz R wrote: >> >>> On 9 April 2014 04:58, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> On Monday, April 7, 2014 11:03:35 PM UTC-4, Liz R wrote: >>>> >>>>> There is an element of this in all evolutionary explanations, but only >>>>> until we are in a position to gather enough evidence to make a call for >>>>> or >>>>> against some idea. Evolution has been observed in action, to a limited >>>>> extent, and the links between genes and various behaviours, structures >>>>> etc >>>>> is becoming clearer, so we have a better idea as time goes on what >>>>> mechanisms have evolved and why. >>>>> >>>>> For example I recently read something about zebra's stripes being >>>>> "for" protecting them from insects (I think it was) rather than making >>>>> them >>>>> harder for carnivores to spot. This was because someone had done some >>>>> experiments to distinguish between several theories of what advantage the >>>>> stripes gave. >>>>> >>>> >>>> Sure, but mechanisms which have an effect on the world of the body need >>>> not have an impact on something that doesn't (like dreams). >>>> >>> >>> ???? Sorry old chap could you clarify ???? >>> >> >> Dreams need not have any possible evolutionary justification, since their >> presence or absence is irrelevant to behavior. >> > > How do you know that? It's plausible that they play a role in training for > future scenarios, for example. > I'm not discounting that there might be more to it than that -- I am > fascinated by dreams too -- but to claim that they are irrelevant to > behavior seems quite a stretch. >
We could always invent a justification for them, but I don't think that we have to. There is no reason that any experience within consciousness better explains some behavior than would an unconscious mechanism explanation. Craig I > > Cheers, > Telmo. > > >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Everything List" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<javascript:> >> . >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
