Re: Discovery's "Walking with Cavemen"

From: Kevin Freels (megaquark@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Jun 17 2003 - 13:50:09 MDT

  • Next message: Jef Allbright: "Re: greatest threats to survival (was: why believe the truth?)"

    Very true. I didn't mean to state the program as "truth" since without being
    there, the truth can never be known. Only educated guesses. My point was
    that most people don't even have a clue.
    Currently I am reading "Origins" by Leakey and there is quite a bit that has
    been "learned" since the book was published in 1979. The "family tree" has
    taken a variety of shapes over the years, but both do agree however that
    Neanderthal man is not a direct ancestor. Careful analysis of the proteins
    has shown this and I doubt that we will ever learn otherwise. For this
    reason, I have to accept this as the "truth of the moment" just as much as I
    have to accept that cigarette smoking is harmful to my health. One day, this
    may be proven wring as well, but it is not very likely.
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: <cryofan@mylinuxisp.com>
    To: <extropians@extropy.org>
    Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 1:15 PM
    Subject: Re: Discovery's "Walking with Cavemen"

    > Kevin Freels <megaquark@hotmail.com> said:
    >
    > > I watched it, the watched it again a second time while I recorded it.
    It's
    > great to have something out there that explains the evolutionary history
    of
    > human beings in laymen's terms. I had 6 people (all of whom think I am
    nuts)
    > watch this. If there is one thing they all got out of it, it was the fact
    > that Neanderthal man is NOT our ancestor, but an entirely different
    species!
    > I am starting to check around right now, but it seems to me that the
    common
    > misconception is that we descended from Neanderthal man. After viewing
    this
    > program, all 6 of these people are more inclined to listen to what I have
    to
    > say about evolution vs. creation. They simply had no idea how it worked!
    > > Until seeing this program, one of my friends (and possibly more)
    actually
    > thought that man descended from what is, for lack of a better word, modern
    > ape. Once again, the Discovery channel has opened a few minds!!!!!!
    > > Three cheers for the Discovery Channel!
    > >
    > >
    >
    > I also enjoyed what I saw of the program, and plan to eventually watch it
    in
    > its entirety. However, I would not take what they say as carved in stone
    > truth. Every week some grand revelation issues forth from the mills of
    the
    > press via some study. But many of those studies are flawed. Truth is
    always
    > being revised, and it seems that we have a short memory considering how
    often
    > studies that are promoted as carved in stone truth are refuted a few years
    > later. Evolutionary biology is great stuff, but I would not be surprised
    if
    > what we saw in the aforementioned TV show is revised with a decade or 2.
    >
    >



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue Jun 17 2003 - 13:54:54 MDT