A living organism is a complex and fragile mechanism that requires continual maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair of an organism depend on supplies of both material and energy. Some microorganisms obtain energy and structural materials from inorganic compounds in their environment. But the great majority of living organisms, both plant and animal, depend directly or indirectly on solar radiation for the energy to build and maintain their physical structure.
Humans obtain the material and energy for growth, cellular maintenance and physical action by consuming other organisms: either plants that derive energy directly from the sun, or animals that derive energy by consuming either plants or other animals.
Because all living creatures are mortal, perpetuation depends on reproduction. Hence, the basic human preoccupations: food and sex. Attention to all else, it might seem, is maladaptive.
But was the childless Sir Isaac Newton maladapted, was Saint Francis, or Jesus? Not necessarily. they each had a huge impact on the civilization in which they lived, and hence upon the survival and expansion of the gene pool to which their own genes belonged.
Sir Isaac Newton went to the grave a virgin.
ReplyDeleteThere is a very distinct possibility Jesus had a wife and children.
He certainly had a brother, James, and we know this from the Bible itself.
People just can't deal with the facts, even when they are staring them in the face.
Mary got it on. Jesus had not the slightest problem.
The sinner!
And look what he did: he turned the water into wine. He was called a wine bibber, right to his face, and probably for a reason. He enjoyed life, including wine.
Nowadays, we even get warnings prior to watching a movie if it shows alcohol consumption.
How does this relate to your post? Well, you did mention Jesus and Sir Isaac Newton.
"Because all living creatures are mortal, perpetuation depends on reproduction. Hence, the basic human preoccupations: food and sex. Attention to all else, it might seem, is maladaptive."
Attention to other things than food and sex is definitely not maladaptive. For the human species or the individual human. You can't F* and eat all day, even if you had the means to do so. Generally, you can't F* and eat simultaneously, either. Who, though, would really want to? Genghis Khan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson? Jack Nicholson?
Did you know nearly every oriental person has some genes from Genghis Khan? He changed the entire gene pool.
Did you know Irish monks invented whiskey?
Did you know European monks in general drank lots of beer?
Maladaptive behavior! Ra Ra! Maladaptive behavior! Ra Ra!
"Generally, you can't F* and eat simultaneously..."
DeleteFor Hunter Biden that'd be no prob.
"Sir Isaac Newton went to the grave a virgin."
Most likely, though who knows, for sure.
Thing is though, Newton changed the course of Western history and in particular boosted Britain on the road to global empire, which meant spreading and vastly expanding the gene pool from which Isaac Newton's genes were drawn. So, yes, while boosting the genetic success of the British nation, Newton increased the representation of his own genes in the global gene pool.
"Thing is though, Newton changed the course of Western history and in particular boosted Britain on the road to global empire, which meant spreading and vastly expanding the gene pool from which Isaac Newton's genes were drawn. So, yes, while boosting the genetic success of the British nation, Newton increased the representation of his own genes in the global gene pool."
ReplyDeleteThis is debatable.
It is true Newton changed the course of history, but does that necessarily mean he changed history to such effect as to increase the representation of his own genes in the global gene pool?
British naval superiority had a great deal to do with Britain's attainment of global empire, and British naval superiority can't be attributed to Newton.
Newton was born in 1642. Principia Mathematica was published in 1687.
The Spanish armada was defeated in 1588. Sir Francis Drake died in 1596. King James granted charters to the Plymouth and London companies for settlement in America in 1606.
The British East India Company arrived in India in the early 1600's.
Teleportation and time travel via Britain's red telephone booths a la Dr. Who certainly can't be ruled out, however. Newton, if anyone, would have known about these. Beforehand.
Um, well, er..
DeleteBut yes, Britain's rise was due largely to the existence of the English Channel, which, by freeing the island nation of the risk of a surprise attack by a continental rival, eliminated the expense of a standing army. Without the expense of a substantial army, Britain had the resources for the creation of the World's most powerful navy. By protecting shipping routes, the Royal Navy facilitated the growth of Britain'sglobal trade, and made possible the acquisition of the best colonies.
DeleteThat, anyway, was Carroll Quigley's idea, which seems compelling to me.
But as for Newton's role in Britain's rise to global domination, I think it was to create belief in the idea of progress and thus to encourage innovation, which in turn led to the industrial revolution. Such belief was manifest in the 1714 Longitude Act of Parliament which provided for a prize of 20 thousand pounds for the design of a chronometer, accurate enough to permit determination of Longitude at sea to within one degree. The prize was won by John Harrison who built a clock with an accuracy of one second per month.
DeleteI quoted this to a friend of mine who is a philosophy professor. We've been discussing similar subjects for quite awhile, but you're saying something here we've not considered.
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