Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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Consider the idea of God. We do not know how it arose in the meme pool. Probably it originated many times by independent 'mutation.' In any case, it is very old indeed. How does it replicate itself? By the spoken and written word, aided by great music and great art. Why does it have such high survival value? Remember that 'survival value' here does not mean value for a gene in a gene pool, but value for a meme in a meme pool. The question really means: What is it about the idea of a god that gives it its stability and penetrance in the cultural environment? The survival value of the god meme in the meme pool results from its great psychological appeal. It provides a superficially plausible answer to deep and troubling questions about existence. It suggests that injustices in this world may be rectified in the next. The 'everlasting arms' hold out a cushion against our own inadequacies which, like a doctor's placebo, is none the less effective for being imaginary. There are some of the reasons why the idea of God is copied so readily by successive generations of individual brains. God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture.
[Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene"]
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« Another growing cult | Main | Cephalopod Awareness Day Alert #1 »
Category: Cephalopods • Organisms
Posted on: October 8, 2007 8:03 AM, by PZ Myers
Remember, it's International Cephalopod Awareness Day! Send me links to your articles that express your appreciation of our 10- and 8-armed friends, and I'll periodically put them up right here on Pharyngula.
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Comments
Posted by: Meg | October 8, 2007 8:25 AM
Here is some of my cephalolove:
http://www.crashoctopus.com/2007/10/08/international-cephalopod-awareness-day/
http://www.crashoctopus.com/category/cephalopod/
Posted by: tai haku | October 8, 2007 8:56 AM
My post is just a selection of my diving photos featuring various different cephalopods; the 4 main classes I come across:
http://tai-haku.blogspot.com/2007/10/cephalopods.html
Posted by: Roger Burnham | October 8, 2007 9:27 AM
Bon dia from Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles,
Here's some of my tentacled friends I see nearly every time I get in the water...(Windows Media Files):
Caribbean Reef Squid 001
Caribbean Reef Squid 002
Common Octopus 001
Cheers,
Posted by: Carlie | October 8, 2007 9:29 AM
Thanks a lot. Caused a huge ruckus at my house. My boys were having a gorilla-octopus war, and I walked by and said it was International Cephalopod Day, so the octopus declared himself the winner by default, and gorilla boy ran off crying until I went and told him maybe that means we eat octopus and squid on International Cephalopod day, and then he was happy again.
Posted by: Rudis | October 8, 2007 9:31 AM
More cephalove at http://cectic.com/057.html
Posted by: Jason | October 8, 2007 9:52 AM
More celebratory cephalolinks over here too: cephalopodcast.com/octopusday
Posted by: The Professor | October 8, 2007 10:02 AM
If I can get another 3 people together, we'll go hug an octopus. Or a squid, if I can get a 4th.
Posted by: RobertC | October 8, 2007 10:10 AM
PZ-have you seen "The Future is Wild?" It was on Animal Planetlast night-the show focuses on speculation about the direction of future evolution. Cephalopods came out very nicely-giant land roaming versions, and some intelligent, emotional types.
http://www.thefutureiswild.com/flash/index.html
(200 million year:Forest)
Posted by: Matt Staggs | October 8, 2007 12:00 PM
Anybody read Jeff VanderMeer's squid-infested "Ambergris" novels?
"City of Saints & Madmen" is cephalopodlicious.
www.jeffvandermeer.com is his homepage.
Posted by: Alex | October 8, 2007 12:14 PM
Cultural cephalopod, Barcelona.
Posted by: Daniel | October 8, 2007 4:37 PM
I'm late, at least here in Sweden where the day is almost over, but here is my contribution anyway: http://egosumdaniel.blogspot.com/2007/10/international-cephalopod-awareness-day.html