New Homo erectus Skull Shakes up Palaeontology

by cofty 192 Replies latest social current

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Species is a social construct. You might as well argue about how many kinds of love there are.

    Scientists are always revising their theories of course. So-called truth is not stable.

  • cofty
    cofty

    Species are a fuzzy concept that is true. We can only talk about species at all because only a tiny fraction of the creatures who have ever lived are still alive.

    The reality is that there is a long line of ancestors stretching all the way back to LUCA. Every generation would have been able to breed with the generations that immediately preceeded it, but when we take snap shots separated by huge stretches of time they look vastly different.

    Just because we don't know everything doesn't mean we don't know anything. Humans evolved from non-human ancestors over millions of years. This is an example of a fact that will always be true.

  • Hortensia
    Hortensia

    Scientists are always revising their theories as new information is found. Much better than clinging to ancient fairy tales and ignoring facts altogether.

  • MadGiant
    MadGiant

    "Scientists are always revising their theories of course. So-called truth is not stable." - slimboyfat

    Not exactly. Scientists can have various interpretations of the outcomes of experiments and observations, but the facts, which are the cornerstone of the scientific method, do not change.

    ismael

  • cofty
    cofty

    Don't get SBF started on the "tyranny of facts" FFS!

  • Oubliette
    Oubliette

    Cool! marking for later reading.

    Thanks!!!

  • suavojr
    suavojr

    Marking

  • bytheirworks
    bytheirworks

    so let me get this straight.

    Watchtower "new light" = baaaaaaaaaad

    Mormon "new light = baaaaaaaaaaad

    Scientific "new light" = gooooooood

  • clarity
    clarity

    Kate...

    Well I still believe in God, cant we believe in both? I am new here though.

    >

    Yes we can believe in both or even more ..up to you!

    >

    Btw ... welcome to JWN & New = Good

    I'll put you on the Newbie list.

    clarity

  • JeffT
    JeffT

    so let me get this straight.

    Watchtower "new light" = baaaaaaaaaad

    Mormon "new light = baaaaaaaaaaad

    Scientific "new light" = gooooooood

    Well the first two aren't backed by anything, its just made up. Science, as pointed out above, is about discovering new facts. This isn't a new version of a myth, its a better understanding of the real world. When I was a kid, Jupiter had twelve moons. Now it has about 40 because we can see them through better instruments and satelittes.

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