Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Nov 5
th, 2012 at 7:02pm:
... wrote on Nov 5
th, 2012 at 5:39pm:
Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Nov 5
th, 2012 at 2:28pm:
I think the important question in the evolutionary process is what was it 'inside' man that gave him the ability to evolve? I am inclined to think of his heightened ability for self-reflectivity which allows for behaviour and the environment to be contemplated and then modified. But this just takes the question further back, why did man develop self-reflectivity?
No 'ability' required - just that our brains evolved in complexity, as opposed to our skin growing harder or our teeth growing longer. But for all our brains complexity, it still only compels us to do the same things that a mouses or a dogs brain does, albeit in a more convoluted fashion.
I agree that we share a lot with the mouse and dog, even reflective consciousness.
But man's reflective consciousness is extremely acute compared to them. Hence why he has the superiority over them in modifying his behaviour and the environment. An interesting question then becomes why did man develop a self-reflective consciousness and why does it seem to have the capacity to enlarge further, but the animal's remained stagnant.We could say he developed it in order to survive. Environmental conditions can, obviously, trigger a heightened self-reflectivity to emerge when forced to survive.
But there must have been something already inside man to be triggered to give birth to a deeper reflectivity,otherwise we fall into the illogical argument of the postmodernists who claim everything is a 'social construction.' Meaning, that all is induced from without, and the within is just an empty vessel.
If,
if, the evolutionary process were a valid hypothesis, then modern man [by whatever 'genus' you would like to describe him] would have to be a total evolutionary 'freak of nature'.
[......in every sense of that phrase.]
In
intelligence in intellect, man is
[we are] totally out of place, within the natural order that we find ourselves in.
Man's
seemingly unique
intellect sets him apart from every other creature on the planet, imo.
Man;
We have it in us [and within each one of us!], to be both highly intelligent,
AND, to be highly irrational creatures.
And that, is the truth.
Dictionary;
intellect = =
1 the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively. one’s mental powers.
2 a clever person.+++
Job 7:17
What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,
and try him every moment?
Psalms 8:4
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalms 144:3
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.