Saturday, May 6, 2017

Why Can't You Do Both?

I am asked by a reader why I can't post on both the problems with neo-Darwinism and against Trump's fascism. I'm only one person, the new ideas that have, as Denis Noble has said, has violated all of the bases of neo-Darwinism are very complex and it generally takes me a two or more times listening to a lecture or reading a paper for me to understand enough of what is said to come to any conclusions about it.  As I said,  I suspect that's one of the things that has happened to evolutionary biology as more and more about how genes and other "sensitive organs of the cell" is learned.  It is exquisitely complex and far from easily intuited.  That includes some of the most stunningly revolutionary discoveries being discussed.  Watch that short film and listen to Lynn Margulis's narration - ignoring the annoying music track.  Every time I watch and listen to it, there is new stuff with shocking implications for someone who was brought up on the neo-Darwinian synthesis.  And there is a lot more of that,  James Shapiro's fascinating article, Bacteria are small but not stupid: Cognition, natural genetic engineering and socio-bacteriology is even more stunning.  Consider that conventional neo-Darwinian ideology holds that mammals aren't really conscious, something that I've never believed, if you read it.  I don't see how anyone could rationally conclude that the bacteria Marguils is talking about are not conscious and have and demonstrate intention.  Though that is the common view.   And that's only one extremely complicated issue involved.

And time is short, Trumpian-Republican-fascism will be defeated soon or the results will be catastrophic.  I will continue posting on different topics but the most important thing is defeating fascism and restoring a durable and safe democracy.

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