[lbo-talk] Chomsky's true views on language and evolution exposed?

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Thu Jun 8 12:22:56 PDT 2006


Arash wrote:


>Arash:
>
>I agree, it seems pretty obvious something so complex as language
>capability had to be "designed" by natural selection, it has much too
>specific of an implementation to be just a random by-product of brain size
>or complexity increasing.
>
>
>
I find it highly amusing that Arash is demonstrating the same fallacious reasoning that Intelligent Design enthusiasts use (replace the words "natural selection" in the above sentence with "God" if that's not immediately apparent). It is not the claim of evolutionary theory that all complex traits must be caused by natural selection. To put it simply, sometimes shit just happens; traits can emerge and persist in a species, and those traits may have nothing to do with selection pressures. --Reading the recent threads, I'll go so far as to say that the true opponents of the scientific development of evolutionary theory are not the "cultural fundamentalist" straw men that Justin excoriates, but rather the naive enthusiasts who jump to the conclusion that every discrete, complex trait in a species must be caused by natural selection.

Miles



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