RT: "The battle between the adaptive force of knowledge and the maladaptive force of false belief is how I understand the battle of Armageddon."

We have evolved the tendency for false belief. Since there is no filter in our brain about what is true and what is false, we must excessively believe; it is safer to believe in danger than to not believe, therefore such belief is of survival value. Our traits have served us well and we're now kings of the planet, but we need to wage war against the beneficial-turned-detrimental trait of excessive belief.

We've come a long way. Much of the superstition and witchery that plagued our ancestors has been quelled(though never eliminated!) Less rational Gods have been replaced with memetically powerful and more rational gods. On a smaller scale, there are millions of silly beliefs that manifest from the detrimental trait of excessive belief. Visual patterns with supposed meaning, wives tales, misconceptions, UFO's and Sasquatches, Loch nessies and japanese spirits. Many are held only by fringe groups, but quite a few are ubiquitous. "Cold water boils faster than warm water" is one I heard last week. It has a slight memetic quality, since physics can be spooky at times, and since hot water actually can freeze faster than cold water in the right conditions. Silly though, it's all silly. The only way to fight this silliness is to under-believe. It's called being skeptical, and it's a virtue!

Ah yes the evolution of choice. An important cultural evolution.

grim:

I just wanted to explain and apologise to you. I am looking at your age under your avatar at the side of the screen. I could have sworn that at one time, it said you were 23.

I am mortified that I threatened to box your ears. I thought you were much younger than my youngest son you see. Age shouldn't make any difference to the way we speak to one another, neither should gender, but it does. I feel quite embarrassed.

However, I do think it is a good example of how we develop and believe in good manners. Good manners are important as they 'oil the wheels' of everyday life, but not at the expense of being honest and truthful with one another. So, I think, with our tendency to believe in myth and legend, to tell ourselves stories, which 'oil the wheels' and help us to make sense of it and also to 'cope'. I think we are hard-wired to seek for meaning......in spite of, or maybe because of scientific advancement.

Penelope wrote:grim: I could have sworn that at one time, it said you were 23.

Grim also explored many nationalities under the flag option. Perhaps age is equally flexible.

Hmmmm.....what constitutes dishonesty in interweb terms?

I suppose it doesn't matter, although it does make it difficult to have a debate on heart-searching topics if one of the contributors is elusive.

I suppose we must assume that posters are being honest, and when we find they're not, make allowances.

Well, it isn't the first time I've felt very silly.......and I don't suppose it will be the last.

Of course you do all realise that I'm not really an elderley British housewife. I'm really the Dalai Lama!!

Penelope wrote:I am looking at your age under your avatar at the side of the screen. I could have sworn that at one time, it said you were 23.

http://www.booktalk.org/album_personal.php?user_id=1333
Personal Gallery of Grim

The real Grim, I think, is a playful and well-read young man.

Well read and very bright....I know....

but am I alone in thinking that some people do have an odd way of amusing themselves?

I'm evolving.

No it was a accident that I cant change back, for now.

grim

I see you are having a very serious discussion about human evolution. I'll add my 2 cents ...

Based on the following articles I sincerely hope we are still evolving .. but I wonder if we are actually going backwards .. de-evolution? (no slight intended towards the world's baggage handlers).

Lost luggage count rising: airline consumer group
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 | 9:45 AM ET Comments53Recommend48
CBC News

A British air travel watchdog says airlines around the world have been losing more bags than ever before. The Air Transport Users Council said Tuesday that more than 40 million bags were misplaced by airlines in 2007, compared with 30 million bags in 2005.

Of the 40 million pieces of lost luggage, more than one million — or one bag per 2,000 passengers — were never recovered.
Likening air travel to a "luggage lottery," the council said in a report that the annual number of mishandled bags was rising and could be as high as 70 million by 2019.

Report Says Airlines Lost 30M Bags in 2005
(From AP Online)

Byline: BRADLEY S. KLAPPER

If you've ever been frustrated after an airline lost your luggage, you're in the good company of millions of others. An estimated 30 million bags were temporarily lost by airlines in 2005, and 200,000 of those bags were never reunited with their owners, according to an industry report released Monday.