X-Message-Number: 10198
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 08:40:35 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #10195 - #10197

Hi everyone!

To Tim Freeman: First of all, evolution is NOT a noisy channel at all.
It is true that for relatively long-lived animals such as human beings,
the results of evolution take a while to show themselves. But those who
engage in unhealthy actions don't do as well in multiplying themselves
as those who do.

This is not noise. It is simply a delay.

The main problem with evolution is that it works on a group of genes
rather than single genes. You are a group of genes. This means that
if you have some kind of unfitness, then any good genes that you also 
have can get wiped out with the rest. If we continue to be groups of
genes, the selection can only act on the result of the entire group;
but as selection, it is not noisy at all. (Besides which, a single
gene cannot be good or bad in isolation, it must work with the othefr
genes). 

After all, it is the group of genes together that produces you, the
phenotype. And evolution selects phenotypes, not genotypes.

What would it mean for evolution to be noisy? That some animals survive
despite a poor phenotype, while others fail to survive despite a good
one... whatever poor or good may mean here. Some of that appearance may
come because the phenotypes evolution selects aren't those we would 
select --- so much the worse for US. It's telling us something, not
just giving noise. And of course, in the length of a present human
life, almost by definition we do not see much change. But its still
happening.

Frankly, though I disagree with Ettinger, I will say that using evolution
as a means to derive "ought" from "is" does give a link. It is not a 
LOGICAL link, and cannot be used for a priori argument in any particular
case. Not only that, but our own ideas of what "ought" to be may conflict
badly with the results of selection. Too bad for those ideas. If evolution
isn't going where we want it to go, then (only after we fully understand
what is happening!) the thing to do is to change circumstances so that it
does. (Genetic modification is irrelevant here: a phenotype does not become
any more favored just because we've used modern methods to make it).

			Best and long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson

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