That said, evolutionary theory already accommodates for the fact of niche construction, which is the when organisms alter their environment so as to be better accommodated to it. That niche construction occurs says nothing about 'free will' though, so we can keep the science while dropping the bad metaphysics. — StreetlightX
That niche construction occurs says nothing about 'free will' though, so we can keep the science while dropping the bad metaphysics. — StreetlightX
Free Will may not be a "survival advantage" because the freely chosen preferences of the individual need not align with the survival of the genes.
We all know people who prefer not to have children. Their genes have been deselected. — tom
I may be wrong but success in life, generally speaking, has been attributed to making the right choices. — TheMadFool
According to the theory of evolution (TOE) traits that confer an advantage in the environment survive while those that are disadvantageous lead to extinction — TheMadFool
Success in life has nothing to do with evolution. Look at all the successful, rich and powerful people whose genes have been deselected via the choices of the phenotype. — tom
Thanks for your post. Read my reply above to another poster. What do you think? — TheMadFool
To what do you correlate the success of humanity? Isn't it our ability to weigh alternatives and choose the best outcome? — TheMadFool
Free will could be genetically transmissible as I seem to be able to choose just as my father or mother can. I expect my children too will have this ability. — TheMadFool
I just wanted to hear what people made of the possibility that free will could (must, in my opinion) evolve as a survival tool. — TheMadFool
According to the theory of evolution (TOE) traits that confer an advantage in the environment survive while those that are disadvantageous lead to extinction. — TheMadFool
You really know such things?Dinosaurs were imminently successful by all counts for 100 million years and, as far as we know, they didn't have free will. — Bitter Crank
Who said this? — Caldwell
Maybe it has got to do with you being made of matter, so the matter cannot simply think for itself but you have to do it... — Heiko
Dinosaurs were imminently successful by all counts for 100 million years and, as far as we know, they didn't have free will. We haven't been successful for very long at all -- Homo sapiens is < 1,000,000 years old--maybe more like a mere 400,000. Very recently we have been a brilliant flash in the pan, but it is not al all clear whether we will be here in so few as 400 years.
Is that success? — Bitter Crank
Dinosaurs were imminently successful by all counts for 100 million years and, as far as we know, they didn't have free will. We haven't been successful for very long at all -- Homo sapiens is — Bitter Crank
According to the theory of evolution (TOE) traits that confer an advantage in the environment survive while those that are disadvantageous lead to extinction. All life-forms extant have been passed the test of survival. Am I right? — TheMadFool
Having free will implies that we have the ability to choose over many options. With free will we can choose from the environment elements that are beneficial for our survival. In other words having free will is a survival advantage. — TheMadFool
I remember many, many forum conversations where I was faulted for suggesting that human beings have any more significance than blue-green algae or cockroaches. — Wayfarer
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