In article <CJHD58.E3H at ns1.nodak.edu> mcclean at plains.NoDak.edu (Phillip McClean) writes:
>Subject: Re: ranking biological success
>From: mcclean at plains.NoDak.edu (Phillip McClean)
>Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 19:36:44 GMT
>Jonathan Marder writes:
JM> In the second book, Pirsig discusses evolution and points out that the
JM> different levels (cells, organisms, societies) each show their own
JM> evolutionary levels. e.g. an organisms may evolve so that certain
JM> cell types are favoured and an ecosystem can evolve at the expense of
JM> certain species.
PM> Many disucssions of evolution suggest that it is an event in which
PM>some entity decided to do. Ecosystem is a man-made definition. It does not
PM>exist outside of man's mind. Suggesting that the "...ecostystem can evolve
PM>at the expense of certain species." presumes that the ecosystem has a
PM>choice to make.
[...]
PM>Success has nothing to do
PM>with the nature of the ecosytem, rather the persistance of
PM>the species is a function of the ability of the species to use its genetic
PM>resources to reproduce in a changing environment.
Your division of *species* and *environment* is no less man-made. Whether you
call it environment or ecosystem, it is itself influenced by biological
evolution.
JM>I suggest that the massive growth in human population is not really a
JM>result of individual fitness, but of social evolution. It seems that
JM>your can't measure the latter by DNA complexity or any other "biological"
JM>parameter.
PM>I feel this comment will only be correct if we can ascribe genetic traits
PM>to our "social evolution."
You miss my point entirely. The physicists tell us that you can't predict the
behaviour of a complex system from the behaviour of its particular components
(which is why we can't accurately predict the weather). Similarly, I think it
will prove impossible to predict the dynamics (i.e. evolution) of an ecosystem
(i.e. collection of organisms in a particular environment) from looking just
at some genetic parameters. This is like predicting the weather from
barometric pressure alone.
__
Jonathan B. Marder '
Department of Agricultural Botany | Internet: MARDER at AGRI.HUJI.AC.IL
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | /\/ Bitnet: MARDER at HUJIAGRI
Faculty of Agriculture |/ \ Phone: (08 or +9728) 481918
