this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
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Biology

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A new study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease, and climate change.

The study, which is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), challenges the long-standing belief about the unpredictability of evolution and has found that the evolutionary trajectory of a genome may be influenced by its evolutionary history, rather than determined by numerous factors and historical accidents.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (8 children)

So is a crucial part of the theory no longer "survival of the fittest?" Because that's straight Malthus. I'm not a biologist, but I study and read and try to pay attention.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (4 children)

So is a crucial part of the theory no longer "survival of the fittest?" Because that's straight Malthus.

In what way is "organisms that increase their reproductive success spread their genetic material more than organisms that don't" Malthusian? Even Peter Kroptkin, the anarcho-communist who literally wrote the Bread Book, used "Survival Of The Fittest" in his writings.

Malthus is wrong for many reasons but the biggest is that humans are not base unconscious animals who rely on genetic variation to influence their behavior. Malthus built his ideas based on uneducated people in a pre-industrial society. But with increasing education and family planning, the exponential growth that Malthus predicted is severely curved. You shouldn't reject parts of evolution because Malthus used them to justify his political theory. You should reject them if they aren't scientifically sound.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

You shouldn't reject parts of evolution because Malthus used them to justify his political theory

This is not what I said. I said that, according to David Harvey, Darwin based his theory of evolution on the writings of Malthus. I'm saying that I believe that this has flawed the theory, as it is based partially on a flawed premise. It doesn't make the theory completely unusable, a good, incomplete, flawed theory can still make correct predictions. but in certain circumstances the inherent logic, the way it handles certain questions, it will produce flawed conclusions. This is true for every system of formal logic, it is an inherent contradiction of all logical systems (epistemic crisis and incompleteness.) But to varying degrees, and to what extent, and how it produces these flawed conclusions is important to consider.

The best example I can think of while sitting in my car about to go unload groceries is gynecology. Does it effectively diagnose or treat disease and abnormalities? Yes. Do we have a good enough mastery of human reproduction to alter the likelihood of pregnancy? Also yes. The science is sound. But the practice of gynecology is often needlessly, senselessly painful, almost cruel, even when practiced by conscientious caring doctors. Why? It's because the founder of gynecology made his discoveries by torturing and experimenting on living slave women, without anesthetics, and many parts of that tradition persist. Because they haven't been readdressed or reconsidered. And maybe because it serves some other social purpose as well.

Science often fails as a form of critique and self discovery. So I'm just out here asking questions to improve my own understanding. I'm a little skeptical of your use of the term "scientifically sound." Especially coming from a fellow hexbear who should know about bourgeois scientism.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It's because the founder of gynecology made his discoveries by torturing and experimenting on living slave women

Jesus Christ of course it's always something like this, oh we've got to test the birth control pill by dumping it into the water of a colonized population!

Had no idea though

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