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Maya,

No need to apologize for writing a lot. I always look forward to reading what you write because it is quite unique in that it usually comes from your own personal insights. There's honesty in what you write. I like that. So write more !! ;-)

- devi

-----Original Message-----
From: Lessov [mailto:lessov@home.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 1:39 AM
To: tyler@oddjob.uchicago.edu; science@lists.pdx.edu
Subject: Re: origins

Craig, Todd and everyone,

I think about this every day and come up with answers based on what I've read and how much I understand about evolution. I tend to think that even evil emotions like the desire to hurt others evolved for each organism's personal well being, and I try to refrain value judgments based only on the fact that such emotions may be damaging to others (or to the planet, say). As to whether emotions are chemical at all, well, of course they are. What else would they be? Nothing comes from nothing. Especially in light of observations that our emotional system - brain and sensory organs - is an elaboration on olfaction, a kind of sophisticated smelling of one's environment.

In other words, smell developed into emotion, a way to tell whether what's in your environment is beneficial or harmful. And now in many subtle shades.

I think about the origins of human behavior and the reasons for all manner of traits every day, and science has only illuminated my way and caused greater depth to fascinate me.

maya
*Sorry I always write so much. The rest of you should make me feel less verbal by contributing. Eric?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Craig Tyler" <tyler@mafalda.uchicago.edu>
To: <science@lists.pdx.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 9:49 AM
Subject: origins> All
>
> At the end of the SII origins workshop this past saturday, we departed
> with a question still hanging. We were talking about Darwinian natural
> selection, and in particular how it could change the behavior or
> personality of a species. For example, imagine two clans of early
> homonids (which might evolve into modern humans). If one clan were more
> violent and the other more peaceful, perhaps the more violent clan would
> fight with each other or with other clans, and many of them would die
> before they had a chance to pass their violent genes along. the
> peaceful clan would reproduce more, by that logic, and subsequent
> generations would be predominantly peaceful. (This type of behavioral
> genetics has been documented in other species.)
>
> Along those lines, do you think it is possible to identify hypothetical
> evolutionary origins for modern human behavior? for your own behavior
> or that of people you know? in particular, I had some categories in
> mind:
>
> 1. laws and morals. for example, should evolution tend to weed out
> terrorists from the human population?
> 2. emotions. for example, is there a survival advantage for those who
> care about others? (could emotions be merely chemical in nature?
> consider prozac!)
> 3. sense of purpose. for example, the work week is 40+ hours, but we
> could feed and clothe everyone with much less work than that. where
> does our work ethic come from?
>
> Any ideas about any part of this question?
> CT