Re:Your body wasn’t built to last: a lesson from human morta...
by trhway on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @01:43AM
(#9418811)
>You have fallen for the false assumption that evolution is teleological
it isn't false, it is true - the evolution leads to exponentially more complex systems. There is a very simple mathematical reason for that - evolution changes are small continuous deltas and a delta-changes to a more complex system cover more volume in the parameter space. Very rough - an organism with 2 times more types of cells, limbs, other morphological and behavioral features, etc.. will produce 2 times more of survivable variations.
>humans are the farthest along that teleological path.
mammals are farthest down the complexity path and humans just a bit further as it seems that we have a bit more complex brain.
Your Harward link is wrong on at least 2 metrics of biological systems both of which shows clear [exponential] increase as result of evolution - complexity and entropy increase integrated over given biological system's life-path in the space-time (that ability to maximize entropy beyond what can be achieved by following local gradient is the main differentiator between live and regular matter)
it isn't false, it is true - the evolution leads to exponentially more complex systems. There is a very simple mathematical reason for that - evolution changes are small continuous deltas and a delta-changes to a more complex system cover more volume in the parameter space. Very rough - an organism with 2 times more types of cells, limbs, other morphological and behavioral features, etc.. will produce 2 times more of survivable variations.
>humans are the farthest along that teleological path.
mammals are farthest down the complexity path and humans just a bit further as it seems that we have a bit more complex brain.
Your Harward link is wrong on at least 2 metrics of biological systems both of which shows clear [exponential] increase as result of evolution - complexity and entropy increase integrated over given biological system's life-path in the space-time (that ability to maximize entropy beyond what can be achieved by following local gradient is the main differentiator between live and regular matter)