{"id":6385,"date":"2023-06-30T14:55:48","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T14:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=6385"},"modified":"2023-02-20T15:02:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:02:06","slug":"the-category-based-nested-form-is-useful-for-understanding-the-evolution-of-human-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=6385","title":{"rendered":"Looking at Ian Hodder’s Book (2018) “Where Are We Heading?” (Part 1 of 15)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

0001 Consider the title of archaeologist Ian Hodder’s recent book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the question really asking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are we heading somewhere?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0002 The problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who would purchase a book with an honest title, such as, “Are We Heading Somewhere?: The Evolution of Humans and Things”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone knows where we are going<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are going to hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0003 So, maybe my first question concerns what Hodder’s titular question is really asking<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my second question, I consider Hodder’s subtitle and ask, “Is there directionality to human evolution?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A consensus among general biologists<\/em> tells us, “Evolution has no direction, because direction implies an overall teleology or purpose.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, this is not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0004 Why is it not the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An answer can be found in a series by Razie Mah, titled, A Course on Evolution and Thomism<\/em>, available at smashwords and other e-book venues.  This course includes Speculations on Thomism and Evolution<\/em> and Comments on Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight’s Book (2017) Adam and the Genome<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0005 Here is a quick summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The normal context of natural selection3b<\/sub><\/em> brings the actuality of adaptations2b<\/sub><\/em> into relation with a niche1b<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, a niche1b<\/sub><\/em> is the potential of an actuality2a<\/sub> independent of the adapting species<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to digest this statement, consult Razie Mah’s A Primer on the Category-Based Nested Form<\/em> and A Primer on Sensible and Social Construction<\/em>, available at smashwords and other e-book venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0006 Here is a picture of the quick summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Figure 01<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0007 What is a niche1b<\/sub>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A situation-level niche1b<\/sub> is the potential of a content-level actuality independent of the adapting species2a<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0008 Does that mean that biological evolution has direction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0009 On the one hand, biologists confuse everyone with their declaration that evolution has no direction<\/em>.  For living systems, natural selection3b<\/sub> encourages adaptations2b<\/sub> in response to a variety of proximate niches1a<\/sub>, which are actualities, more or less independent of the adapting species2a<\/sub>. There is no telling which proximate niche1b<\/sub> will turn out to be decisive.  Most likely, the proximate niche1b<\/sub><\/em> is the potential of an actuality2a<\/sub> that directly benefits or challenges the creature’s reproductive success2b<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, there are various surprises, like a huge meteor striking the planet Earth, which changes all proximate niches so dramatically that mass extinctions occur.  So, biological evolution,<\/em> on a grand scale,<\/em> appears to play out as a contest to adapt to proximate niches, which are themselves contingent on planetary conditions<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0010 On the other hand, the above diagram shows that biological adaptations are directional.  They are teleological.  There is an actuality2a<\/sub>, independent of the adapting species<\/em> that either encourages or inhibits reproductive success1b<\/sub>.  Genetic recombinations will throw up a variations among a species’ phenotypes.  Some of these phenotypic variations will prove more successful than others at exploiting the actuality2a<\/sub> or avoiding the actuality2a<\/sub>.  Biologists label this eventuality, “differential reproductive success”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0011 Adaptations2b<\/sub> reveal that the niche1b<\/sub> is… to use a theological term… teleological.  The niche1b<\/sub> is the potential that becomes manifest when a biologist reflects upon the adaptations of a particular species2b<\/sub> in the normal context of natural selection3b<\/sub><\/em>.  The niche is like a boulder in a river than causes water to flow around it.  The rock is an independent actuality.  The river adapts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0012 Does that mean that biological evolution has a direction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same way that a river of water running to the sea has a direction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0013 The difference between a river of water<\/em> and the river of life<\/em> concerns altitude.  Water runs downhill.  When it gets to the sea, its niche is exhausted.  Life runs uphill.  It converts a huge amount of energy<\/em> (think of water running downhill) into a little amount of energy that the organism can use<\/em> (think of a waterwheel grinding grains of wheat into flour).  Consequently, life is precarious.  Death is ubiquitous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, a niche1b<\/sub> is all about staying alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0014 Actualities independent of the adapting species2a<\/sub><\/em> pose opportunities and hazards.  These have the potential to constitute niches1b<\/sub>.  A niche1b<\/sub> is relevant enough to increase the reproductive success of some in the adapting species, as opposed to others, in the normal context of natural selection3b<\/sub>.  The successful ones adapt2a<\/sub> to their niche1b<\/sub>.  Life is always climbing uphill.  Death is tumbling down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0015 So, where are we heading?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ian Hodder suggests an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things can keep us alive.  So, it behooves our ancestors, the hominins, as well as ourselves, the humans, to attend to the things that keep us alive<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He calls this adaptation: “entanglement”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

0001 Consider the title of archaeologist Ian Hodder’s recent book. What is the question really asking? Are we heading somewhere? 0002 The problem? Who would purchase a book with an honest title, such as, “Are We Heading Somewhere?: The Evolution of Humans and Things”? Everyone knows where we are going. We are going to hell. 0003 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[370,8,40],"tags":[115,203,364,181,373,372,249,119,371,251,250,253,374],"class_list":["post-6385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biological-cultural-evolution","category-our-current-lebenswelt-is-not-the-lebenswelt-that-we-evolved-in","category-the-human-niche","tag-adaptation","tag-archaeology","tag-biological-evolution","tag-category-based-nested-form-2","tag-dependency","tag-entanglement-theory","tag-hand-talk","tag-human-evolution","tag-ian-hodder","tag-our-current-lebenswelt","tag-speech-alone-talk","tag-the-lebenswelt-that-we-evolved-in","tag-tools"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking at Ian Hodder's Book (2018) "Where Are We Heading?" 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