Natures Wonders- living fossils (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, November 18, 2017, 15:15 (2562 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: It is indeed obvious that if any particular form of life survives without changing, it doesn’t need to change! We have said the same thing over and over again about bacteria. You like to talk of a drive to complexity, and I prefer to talk of a drive for survival and/or improvement. The former is a response to stresses and challenges, and the latter is a response to opportunities. As before, I see no purpose in complexity just for the sake of complexity.

DAVID: Your response does not explain the human brain. It goes way beyond simple survival.

dhw: Of course it does. It comes under “improvement” – or do you not agree that the human brain is an improvement over the ant brain, the weaverbird brain, the chimp brain in terms of its capabilities?

DAVID: A drive for survival implies a necessity for response to challenges. The human brain is not needed for that. Your improvement then is equal to my complexity drive.

dhw: All dealt with above. I prefer “improvement” as I don’t see the point of complexity for the sake of complexity.

I see it as an explanation for things like the human brain that are too complex for the necessity of survival. Comparing it to the chimp does not address the point. The chimp lives and is happy.