The Difference of Man and the Difference it Makes (Humans)

by David Turell , Thursday, February 04, 2010, 18:31 @ xeno6696

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/11/richard_dawkins_smart_dinosaurs.php

I'm kind of interesting to see your thoughts on this, it relates to Adler's book.

First, that is one of the stupidest pieces of speculation I've ever wasted time reading. Conway Morris is certainly the world's biggest advocate for convergence, and uses it to push his view that humans had to appear, suggesting that humans might have been pre-determined. I'm not aware that he has had an opinion about humanoid dinosaurs. This kind of contingency disucssion reminds one of Gould, who concluded we are "a glorious accident" and if the tape of evoltion were rerun (paraphrasing) there was no chance we would successfully reappear.

As for Adler, he was discussing only the vast difference in intellectual power, and the philosophic meaning or conclusion it led to. Certainly corvids are very bright birds. Jeremy Taylor has a whole chapter on them in his book "Not a Chimp". And his book beautifully supports Adler's conclusions.

People sure have a weird fascination with dinos.