[raybbr]

Imagine a population of 100,000 apes or “proto-humans” ten million years ago which are all genetically alike other than for two with a “beneficial mutation”. Imagine also that this population has the human or proto-human generation cycle time of roughly 20 years.

Imagine that the beneficial mutation in question is so good, that all 99,998 other die out immediately (from jealousy), and that the pair with the beneficial mutation has 100,000 kids and thus replenishes the herd.

Why does he hypothetically eliminate the rest of the herd? There is no logic to it. Any number of the other 999,998 could be the evolutionary spark - take that quantum leap so to speak - that speeds up the whole process.

This proves nothing, really.

[tomzz]

Standard evolution theory involves the concept of genetic death due to substitution, i.e. to old stock dying out BECAUSE of the appearance of a new and superior genotype. All Remine is doing is postulating the maximal possible value of such a phenomenon and demonstrating that even that cannot make a reasonable scenario out of the idea of man evolving from an "ape-like ancestor" in ten million years or less.

[cookcounty]

"Why does he hypothetically eliminate the rest of the herd? There is no logic to it. Any number of the other 999,998 could be the evolutionary spark - take that quantum leap so to speak - that speeds up the whole process. "

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Darwiniac faith summed up in 3 words.

[DungeonMaster]

Why does he hypothetically eliminate the rest of the herd? There is no logic to it. Any number of the other 999,998 could be the evolutionary spark - take that quantum leap so to speak - that speeds up the whole process.

It gives the benefit to evolution. In reality the mutation would probably be lost in the herd making evolution even less likely. Even when evolution is given this advantage it still comes out a loser.