[QUOTE]Originally posted by leekim:
[b]
quote:
Originally posted by Peter:
Evolution and extinction ARE intrinsically linked.
If you have 'survival of the fittest' that implies 'extinction of
the less fit'. They are the same thing.
The only reason that there is an incremental change from early
hominids to modern man is that the changes acquired along
the way made the 'newer' kids on the block more able to survive,
and having survived, breed.
The current existence of earlier forms would do more to challenge
evolution than the absence of them.
---I understand all of the points you raise but that (and the prior posts) is not a sufficient explanation to justify the non-existence of any of the less advanced hominids (under a theory of evolution there must have been hundreds of these incremental, "advancing" specimens which eventually lead to the modern homo sapien sapien). Yet despite the fact that modern apes, chimps, etc found a way to survive to the current day, none, not a one, of the prior sapiens was able to find a way to survive within their environment? It just seems implausible to me.
The "Argument from Personal Incredulity" is a weak argument, leekim.
What you are saying is, basically, "Because I, leekim, cannot conceive of X, X must not be true."
You have not provided any evidence or compelling reasons for your non-acceptance of evidence.
I repeat my other example: there are no less-advanced relatives of modern horses which survived to the present time. Equus Callabus is the last of many, some of which coexisted for millions of years. Do you find it odd or inconceivable that there is only Equus Callabus today and not any of the others? Why or why not?
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"We will still have perfect freedom to hold contrary views of our own, but to simply
close our minds to the knowledge painstakingly accumulated by hundreds of thousands
of scientists over long centuries is to deliberately decide to be ignorant and narrow-
minded."
-Steve Allen, from "Dumbth"
[This message has been edited by schrafinator, 03-27-2002]