h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's what leapt out at me when I read about this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7082795.stm

<>

Would Darwinists here care to comment?

VL

What should we say - this clearly proves that Darwin was wrong?

<>

Would Darwinists here care to comment?>>

He was an idiot.

Smells a lot of the whole ubermencsh thing. I think Nietzsche would be rolling around in his grave if he knew what sort of people had taken up his ideas.

Those most attracted to applying fascism/"Social Darwinism" are the inadequate.

... and in history the Catholic church.

<>

An unsurprising response, but very unhelpful... and untrye!

Vicky

No. But Bouncy's posting was the most helpful... as he has pointed out that darwin would be horrified by the use to which his ideas have been put...

Vicky

*Untrue, I meant, of course...

VL

<<... and in history the Catholic church.>>

An unsurprising response, but very unhelpful... and untrye!>>

She's right you know... the Catholic Church, especially the historical one, wouldn't touch Darwinism with a ten foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

What's untrue about it, Vicky?

Two German biologists who fled the armed during the Hitler regime and survived for three years in de desert of Namibia (former colony of Germany) were relieved to conclude, that also from the biological point of view the Nazi-evolution would fail = over specialization in war = not enough to sustain normal life.

Former colony and site of some of the key thinkers of Nazi regimes first exploitation into genocide.

Am I "Darwinist" b/c I subscribe to the modern scientific theory of evolution?

Anyway, what do the actions of one lone nut job, and his attempted association with Darwin, have to do with the actual scientific theory of evolution? Nothing.

Why, that would be like if I associated the crazy statements of the OP with all Christians I know. Ludicrous!

There is often a temptation to 'read' into the pronouncements of a 'fruit cake'something other than his own deranged thinking.

Novo

What is a 'Darwinist'?

Like a gravitationist, but with evolution rather than gravity.

<>

Yes. This has sod-all to do with Darwinism; the word has just been hijacked and used in the wrong context. Evolution works by preferentially selecting beneficial traits in a species over time - the personal opinions of one member of a species about other members of the same species is something entirely different.

It is more akin to individual members of a species competing over territory, whereby the youngest/strongest would be more likely to win. It has absolutely nothing to do with genetic fitness.

IMHO social darwinism is to real darwinism what scientology is to science.

Following the set religious persons reply when some nutter puports to be doing something in the name of their god to which the reply is usual: He wasn't a true Christian/Jew/Catholic/Muslim/Scientologist. A true would not do something like that.'

I give you the answer: He wasn't a true Darwinist. A true Darwinist would not do something like that.

A true Darwinist might I suppose, I mean Darwinism (i.e. understanding and acceptance of the Theory of Evolution) doesn't have an awful lot to say on morality does it?

Hopefully, a True Darwinist (Tm) would not say such utterly ridiculous things to back it up though.

And considering a Darwinist has simply come to the conclusion that life evolves through the 'survival of the fittest' then actually 'doing something in the name of Darwinism' really does not make sense.

It's a bit like being a 'round-Earthist': one has come to the conclusion that the Earth is round..that's about as far as it goes...apart from telling the 'flat-earthists that they are morons and wrong.

Since he also took upon himself the name 'storm spirit', would any meteorologists or supernaturalists here care to comment?