Rubbish.

[scheherazade_79]

James, I've got to hand it to you - I've never come across anyone who's an expert in so many fields as you are. In fact, I'm surprised how you manage to fit your brain into your head


Tune in next week for James' account of why Darwin belonged in the special needs class and Einstein was a cretin...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

BOXLICKER

Well, the course was Memory and the Nobel Laureate studied memory and wrote a book about it. So it seemed relevant.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DOC

I'm familiar with Dawkins and E.O. Wilson and Vincent Sarich and Herbert Simon et al. I know all about sociobiologists. They changed their name to 'evolutionary psychologists' following the uproar from perfessers and feminists about the dogma of sociobiology.

I wanted to get a PhD in genetics, but the program was in the Department of Anthropology, and a war was underway within anthropology about sociobiology and using molecular clocks to date artifacts.

MANYEYEDHYDRA

Dawkins is an old fuck whose best days were 30 years ago. He wrote 3 good books and hasnt done shit since about 1980. Ditto for E.O.Wilson.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Here's the report on a positive function for gay genes. It's from a soft-science rag but their sources are legit.

I like this line from the report:

One problem with this proposal: it has failed past scientific tests. A few studies have found gays aren’t especially helpful to their families.

Snarky!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DOC

I'm familiar with the topic and argument. But however you slice it, if you dont make babies YOU become extinct.

 

[gauchecritic]

DOC

I'm familiar with the topic and argument. But however you slice it, if you dont make babies YOU become extinct.

If you do make babies YOU personally also become extinct. It's called dying.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GAUCHE

Nonsense, dear.

 

[Boxlicker101]

DOC

I'm familiar with the topic and argument. But however you slice it, if you dont make babies YOU become extinct.

That's a bit simplistic. It's not necessary that ALL members of a species produce offspring. Many animals are neutered early in life, but the species to which they belong live on. I have never produced offspring, nor has my maiden aunt, but the human race survives.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

BOXLICKER

It IS that simple.

I have 10 grandchildren. Your nieces and nephews may get your money, but my heirs inherit my genes, and the future is shaped by me rather than you. A chicken is the eggs way of making more eggs.

 

[Boxlicker101]

BOXLICKER

It IS that simple.

I have 10 grandchildren. Your nieces and nephews may get your money, but my heirs inherit my genes, and the future is shaped by me rather than you. A chicken is the eggs way of making more eggs.

I describe myself as having 11 grandchildren. They are, from previous marriages, the offspring of two of my wives. The offspring of my current wife, rather than my nieces and nephews, will inherit from me and from her.

Although nobody will inherit my genes, I like to believe that I have shaped the future of my children and grandchildren through my actions and presence.

As Gauche said, everybody eventually dies and becomes extinct, but the species lives on.

 

[gauchecritic]

GAUCHE

Nonsense, dear.

That's twice you've called me that. Are you now, or have you ever been queer?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

BOXLICKER

I get your point, but the bottomline isnt survival of the species, its survival of your genes. Genes have immortality. THIS was Dawkins' thesis in THE SELFISH GENE. Genes are manipulative bastards obsessed with reproducing themselves.

 

[gauchecritic]

BOXLICKER

I get your point, but the bottomline isnt survival of the species, its survival of your genes. Genes have immortality. THIS was Dawkins' thesis in THE SELFISH GENE. Genes are manipulative bastards obsessed with reproducing themselves.

Genes are a tool of the species.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GAUCHE

Wrong again.

 

[gauchecritic]

GAUCHE

Wrong again.

No you're wrong.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

GAUCHE

No! You!

 

[gauchecritic]

GAUCHE

No! You!

Let's clear this up once and for all. It's you that's wrong.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Eh - some of the theories are horse-puckey and some are valid, and which is which may be known in the fullness or time, or not. But I like this kind of thought-provoking speculation, ever-evolving as the state of knowledge advances.

It reminds me of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars and Antarctica books in which he asks very excellent questions about the most important issue of them all, "How shall we live?" and the fact that he mostly produces pretty crappy answers is secondary: It's the questions that provide the value.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

GAUCHE

Wrong again.

No you're wrong.

GAUCHE

No! You!

Let's clear this up once and for all. It's you that's wrong.

You're both wrong: I couldn't care less what my "genes want." My purpose in life is my own happiness. If you're wise you've figured out that yours is, too. That puts these things in their proper context.

(But do continue the tennis match - it's highly amusing. )

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROXANNE

Next I'll share my theory of the male Y chromosome and how it evolved.

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Let's clear this up once and for all. It's you that's wrong.

Actually JBJ is correct on this particular point, sad to say.

It's the other way round.

Species are the tools of genes.

It's an argument people don't like to embrace because the thought that we're really nothing more than fleshy little cars to carry around a string of pyramidines and purines is a horribly bleak thing to contemplate.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Actually JBJ is correct on this particular point, sad to say.

It's the other way round.

Species are the tools of genes.

It's an argument people don't like to embrace because the thought that we're really nothing more than fleshy little cars to carry around a string of pyramidines and purines is a horribly bleak thing to contemplate.

Oh yeah? Well, we'll show them. We'll evolve! What's more, we'll decide what we evolve into. Take that, you selfish little bastards! You may be able to push those other species around, but the big-brained biped has your number! (All 46 of them.)

 

[scheherazade_79]

ROXANNE

Next I'll share my theory of the male Y chromosome and how it evolved.

The little stem that would have kept it as the perfect X dropped off, and Man was born

 

[delicate_yielding]

Hi all,

I've been lurking in this thread a bit, and I have two things to add:

1) I think some of you are simplifying the selfish gene idea and getting a bit defensive. Humans are complex systems, and the system needs to be made out of something. The emergent behavior is what's important.

2) JAMESBJOHNSON is a troll. Please stop feeding the troll.

Cheers

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I've said for years that the Y chromosome is a crippled X chromosome, and thats exactly what it is.

The Y chromosome has maybe 20 genes, whereas the X has thousands of them.

Somewhere in time guys decided to reduce their genes to the essentials real men need. So we have a gene for farting, belching the alphabet, drinking milk from the carton, scratching our crotches, football, beer, lust, hunting, tools, yard work, etc.

Prehistoric males looked into the future, saw a world of chick flicks and Slim-Fast and high heels and removing makeup before you can sleep, and decided to toss those genes overboard.

For the average guy THE THREE STOOGES is as good as art needs to be.