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To: unlearner
I am sorry I have not maintained a more cordial tone.

I think it is strange that you have no problem with the word “adaptation” being used in lieu of “evolution” because to you the word “evolution” is a loaded term while “adaptation” is not.

To me “evolution” just means change (etymology ‘unrolling’). In context of biological evolution it means change in living things - descent with modification. It is not nearly as loaded a term (to me) as “adaptation” which implies a useful change.

As I said before - not all evolution is useful change - and much of the non-adaptive evolution we observe is very useful in terms of tracking common descent - even within a species. How do we know that Native Americans are more closely related to East Asians than Polynesians or Europeans? From the non-adaptive evolution of the parts of their genome that doesn’t actually do anything and is thus “free” to change without consequence.

Anyway I found the difference in opinion about which was the loaded term illustrative and amusing.

89 posted on 12/04/2012 11:18:54 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: allmendream

“I am sorry I have not maintained a more cordial tone.”

No offense taken. Thanks for the discussion.


90 posted on 12/04/2012 12:32:14 PM PST by unlearner (You will never come to know that which you do not know until you first know that you do not know it.)
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