Wallace vs. Darwin (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, April 13, 2013, 14:36 (4243 days ago) @ dhw


> http://www.evolutionnews.org/2013/04/what_would_a_wo070971.htm
> 
> dhw: I got on to this article yesterday, but today I can't find it! I remember seeing a sentence to the effect that when a theistic interpretation of his theory was offered to Darwin, he was very enthusiastic. As atheists never acknowledge, he was always at pains to point out that his theory was NOT incompatible with religion.-The article hides in archives from April 8:- http://www.evolutionnews.org/2013/04/what_would_a_wo070971.html-> 
> dhw: What I'd really like to comment on, David, is the link between your comment above and a sentence you quoted from the article: "It could well be argued that Darwinian evolution has actually contributed to confusion on the subject of human psychology and mind by stressing animal/human continuities and encouraging a plethora of poorly designed studies loaded with unwarranted anthropomorphisms concerning animal behavior."
> 
> I don't know any of the studies he's referring to, but I do know that vast areas of human-like behaviour in animals are far from being anthropomorphisms, since we are the evolutionary latecomers. Humans learned and inherited patterns of behaviour from their primate ancestors, and many of these patterns are also to found in animals other than primates. -I find the chimp studies are faint shadows of our capacities. We left them far, far behind. And I agree my dog porbably communicates with me in many ways reminicent of human behaviour.