Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

by jwundubbed 36 Replies latest social humour

• 

  jwundubbed

  I found out recently that Michelangelo's painting of Adam on the Sistine Chapel depicts him without a belly button. I had never noticed this before and it makes sense that neither Adam nor Eve would have belly buttons, not having been born in the usual way.

  Then I realized all the first animals were created rather than born, according to the religious views of the origin of life. So... the chicken definitely came before the egg. How come this isn't a widely accepted view of the question? I mean, lots of people who ask this question believe in God and are religious. I can't believe I never thought of it before. I get why scientists and atheists would still question which came first, but I would also expect them to acknowledge the religious point of view, if only to reject it. I've never heard anyone use a religious point of view to answer this philosophical question.
  

  The chicken definitely came first!
  
• 

  Vidiot

  Nope, the egg.

  Birds evolved from dinosaurs.

  Which laid eggs.

  Before chickens did.
• 

  peacefulpete

  It's a semantic paradox. Vidiot is right of course that 'eggs' existed many millions of years before the appearance of chickens, but if we word it more specifically: What came first the chicken or the chicken egg?

  Now we have a genuine semantic paradox that dates back to ancient Greece and has had philosophers spilling way too much ink, but that's what philosophers do.

  Scientifically speaking modern chickens are hybridized and domesticated descendants of Asian jungle fowl. Chickens were domesticated about 8000 years ago. Red junglefowl - Wikipedia
• 

  Jeffro

  peacefulpete:

  What came first the chicken or the chicken egg?

  The chicken egg.
• 

  St George of England

  I found out recently that Michelangelo's painting of Adam on the Sistine Chapel depicts him without a belly button.

  I just looked at that painting on Wikipedia and he certainly appears to have a navel.

  George

  
  
• 

  TxNVSue2023

  Why would it matter either way which came first?

  Of all the stuff to think about in life why would you waste your time & energy in something that doesn't matter & has no meaning?

  It just looks like a futile attempt to call your educated.
• 

  moomanchu

  
  
• 

  peacefulpete

  Jeffro, ......go fry an egg! lol
• 

  Jeffro

  jwundubbed:

  I get why scientists and atheists would still question which came first, but I would also expect them to acknowledge the religious point of view, if only to reject it. I've never heard anyone use a religious point of view to answer this philosophical question.

  I think we all already know that the Bible's creation myth suggests chickens were made before eggs, but it scarcely warrants further attention. That particular 'religious point of view' is incorrect (and not representative of all religious views anyway so it isn't 'the religious view'), and the 'philosophical' supposed paradox is tedious. Both positions are a demonstration of ignorance about how eggs evolved and how chickens were domesticated.
  
• 

  peacefulpete

  Jeffro...I did say semantic paradox. You can't have a 'chicken' egg prior to the word chicken having meaning. But I agree with you, it's a word puzzle only if you accept certain premises. It's like asking can an all-powerful God make a stone so big he can't move it?

  If you accept a chicken could come from something very chicken-like, the paradox disappears.