Different in degree or kind: a book agrees with Adler (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 13:07 (3209 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: Since you agree with me that the quest for knowledge, moral sense, and the appreciation of beauty are an evolutionary extension, you can hardly agree with O'Hear that “evolutionary theory cannot give a satisfactory account of such distinctive facets of human life as the quest for knowledge, moral sense, and the appreciation of beauty”! Yes, the magnitude is surprising, but magnitude is a matter of degree, not kind.-DAVID: Perhaps I wasn't clear: I don't know how you are interpreting the above quote, but I fully believe evolutionary theory cannot give a satisfactory account. There is no natural demand for aesthetics, as that was implication in my last response. We evolved from an ape group, but why did our brain end up with all of its extraneous value judgments that are not necessary for survival? It enriches our life which again is a value, not a necessity. We are very special.-You keep on about survival and you ignore the drive for improvement, which has to be integral to evolution since we have agreed that if survival was the only criterion, NOTHING was necessary beyond bacteria. You have also ignored O'Hear's references to the quest for knowledge and moral sense - both of which are clear extensions of the animal need for knowledge of the environment, and the need for individual social organisms to fit in with the requirements of the group. Even with aesthetics, I have offered a pretty obvious evolutionary link: there has to be some inbuilt aesthetic sense for individual males and females to choose their mates. The fact that we have developed these attributes on such a massive scale is indisputable, and yes indeed we are special. We are animals with special gifts. So are dogs and camels and whales...According to you, God gave them their special gifts too, so we are all special. And if God doesn't exist, we are still all special. Either way, you and I believe evolution is the process that has taken organisms far beyond what was necessary for life and survival. Improvement is therefore the driving force that offers a satisfactory evolutionary explanation for ALL the special qualities, including our own.