Hahaha, very funny Orn... but you have a fair point. :P

Okay, I think Darwin's idea, whilst amazing in its own right, is even more
amazing when you also consider some of the other things it has helped us
understand. Darwin's focus on evolution was at the level of the organism and
the phenotypical traits demonstrated. However, Darwinian evolution at the
level of the gene is perhaps even more amazing. It helps us understand not
just why species are the way they are (which is amazing), but also gives
incredible insights for medicine. Truly, he opened the door.

More than that even, Darwin's idea has helped us understand social behaviour
too. To this we look to Dawkin's concept of the meme, which even helps to
explain why organisms sometimes behave in ways that seem to not benefit the
individual at all.

If you're not clued up on memes, here's a 15 min lecture from Dan Dennett
which explains it beautifully:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_dennett_on_dangerous_memes.html

Ian

2008/7/20 ornamentalmind <ornamentalm...@yahoo.com>: