Wait, I'd read that I'm supposed to hate this book, but I can't remember why.
You couldn't have read that, because it's great. Maybe the anthropomorphizing? But that objection rather misses the point.
I didn't think it was as good as The History of Pi. You should really check that one out. Everyone has a copy.
we ain't nothing but mammals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTW8oUV8Aq0
No, I'm sure it's bad. I have to hate it now, because Ogged likes it.
"The Trials of Life. See why they call them 'animals'." -- Butt-Head
Totally OT (is it too early in the thread for this?): can someone tell me where in the FL panhandle I want to go if I want to rent a little beach cottage and not a condo? I seem to be striking out in the Destin area and Seaside seems expensive ......
Even the still on the YouTube video in the post is NSFW. Yeesh.
I found myself watching Live with Regis and Kelly this morning, and Regis held up a newspaper clipping about gorillas mating. It even had a picture. "Now, mating gorillas are no big news, but scientists have learned something new: they can do it while facing each other." (The picture confirmed this.) And Kelly was sitting next to him, nodding and quietly murmuring, "Yes, just like humans... just like humans..."
Alright, fine, I don't deserve a vacation anyway.
13: Did they have some weird zoo animal on the show this morning? When I walked by the studio, the papparazzi seemed to be trying to photograph somebody holding a small animal up to a limousine's window.
The most negative Dr. Tatiana review complained that some parts were too technical and there were too many bugs.
So, if I understand the video correctly: more female sluttiness = more males with bigger penii? And therefore, we women should be slutting it up for the benefit of you men (and ourselves, IYKWIMAITYD).
You're right, I do kinda love her now, Ogged.
OT: Ogged, when you gonna get you a NASA swimsuit so we can adequately judge your, um, snorkel?
So, if I understand the video correctly: more female sluttiness = more males with bigger penii? And therefore, we women should be slutting it up for the benefit of you men (and ourselves, IYKWIMAITYD).
I hypothesize that as people have become able to choose their mates based on such factors before committing to monogamy with them, larger penes will once again become evolutionarily favored.
Thank you 1960s, or something.
13: why, arthegall, why were you watching Regis and Kelly (Lee)?
I'm in favor of bringing back the baculum (the more reliable invention).
I think what Labs read is going around philosophy circles. I remember quite firmly being told I should not like her book, but I can't remember why. Crappy evolutionary psychology? Everything I've ever seen her do has been good fun. Perhaps someone like L/isa L/l/oyd has something against her.
The clip was great, but it moved to quickly. I don't think we ever got an explanation for why (evolutionarily) stimulating females for extended periods of time causes them to remain faithful. Is it a demonstration of physical fitness? Being a good caregiver for offspring?
If you guys can remember what it was, I'd be very interested in reading it. My preliminary reaction: it's stupid.
Mas the author cute? That's the important question.
I haven't read the book, but why do philosophers as philosophers have a position on an evolutionary biology book? Does it take a strong philosophical position about something>
Mas the author cute?
No mas!
Actually, si.
Philosophy of biology is a pretty active field; not surprising that the book would be discussed.
I hadn't read the book, but from the title I'd assumed it was in the "Neat facts of evolutionary biology" genre. not anything with a strong theoretical underpinning.
Evolutionary bio raises important issues in epistemology metaphysics and ethics. The epistemological importance is pretty straightforward, and is what is mostly interesting about evolutionary psychology. How does the confirmation of an evolutionary hypothesis work? What are the legitimate and illegitimate uses of this method? What kinds of bias (cough, gender, cough) lead to illegitimate uses. L/isa Loyd's work on the structure and confirmation of evolutionary theory is good here.
A lot of the pioneering work in philosophy of biology was done in metaphysics. What exactly are the entities in evolutionary theory? What kind of identity is a species? What kind of entity is a gene? (Notice that bio textbooks actually have two conflicting definitions of genes.) D/avid H/ull's work is great. Also, I TA'd for him at NU and he is a hoot.
Ethics: Everyone at some point or another draws ethical conclusions from evolution. See James Rachels for examples of how to do it properly.
Someone dislikes Dr. Tatiana? Hey, I hate crappy evo-psych and sociobiology, but Dr. Tatiana isn't that at all. Good book, exactly what good science writing should be, and the column is more of the same.
Helpy-chalk's 31 is slightly more helpy-chalky than my 29.
The epistemological importance is pretty straightforward, and is what is mostly interesting about evolutionary psychology. How does the confirmation of an evolutionary hypothesis work?
I read the first sentence and thought the second would head in a much more Nietzschean direction than it does.
a much more Nietzschean direction
knowledge as evolutionary will to power?
There is a lot of evolutionary epistemology out there, too. Some of it is ok.
Using "Locus" or "allelle" instead of gene clears up a lot of fuzzy thinking. Biology isn't noted for the rigor of its foundations.
Species is complicated; there are taxa where it can't be usefully defined (dandelions for instance). Jerry Coyne's book Speciation is detailed, but really interesting nevertheless
Biology isn't noted for the rigor of its foundations.
Hence its philosophical attraction. Look, problems!
Who turned the philosophers loose on the cock jokes thread?
Everyone knows you can't keep philosophers away from cock.
But then they just stand around debating what the damn thing means.
35: no, the advantages of being deceived, of having various false notions, of a perceptual system that might systematically misrepresent things, etc (think, for a total change of subject, of wossname on frog perception—there's no problem striking at things that look fly-like if your environment is sufficiently fly-rich, and it might actually be disadvantageous to have eyes that could focus well enough to tell flies from nonflies with much greater accuracy because it would, say, take too long or something).
13- I think I saw you in line at the gooseberry truck yesterday.
21: I can't wake up, fully, until I've had my Regis in the morning.
42: Really? I was certainly in line at the Gooseberry's at some point yesterday, it might have been me. Were you coming from The House That Lander Built?
The video is standard pop-ev-psych bullshit, but this Tatiana woman has a nice kinky scientist vibe going. Classy T&A. The doctor will examine your penis now!
Indeed, I'm in danger of reliving the freshmen 15 with my new office 200 feet from the trucks.
But you've got that wonderful new cafe in the corner spot at the bottom of your building -- Sebastians, or something? I only go to Goosebeary's because I have to.
Sebastian's is about $7 for a sandwich, I'm too cheap to go there. Food trucks- so much food, so little money. I need to start bringing my own lunch again.
Just make sure you hit Goosebeary's before 1 or 1:30pm. After that, their food is warmed to a less-safe degree, and the ratio of hairballs-to-ground-chicken in the garpao rises dramatically.
I'm just sayin'.
It's too bad, because it's now the best truck out there. The sub-truck at the other end used to be alright, back when he had a bigger truck with an actual oven in it. But some time in the last six months, he ditched the oven and does everything in a microwave now. $4.50, for some cold meatballs in a whitebread bun, that's been unevenly heated in your crappy appliance? No thanks.
The video is standard pop-ev-psych bullshit
What? What claim?
The sub truck dropped his price to $3.
Funny you should mention less-safe food prep, I got the Seegoo at 12:15 and now I'm feeling a little queasy.
I just read that the trucks aren't going to be there for long. All hail building 76.
"the trucks aren't going to be there for long"
They only moved to that spot when Stata was built. I'm sure they'll move to another spot (probably somewhere along Main or Vassar) when the new construction begins. You can't get rid of shrunken-head lady, she's worked in at least three trucks in the seven years I've been around.