George
Posts: 297
Joined: Feb. 2006
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| Quote (Daniel Smith @ Dec. 20 2007,18:26) | | Quote (George @ Dec. 18 2007,18:47) | | Quote (Daniel Smith @ Dec. 18 2007,18:40) |
There's a difference between balance and stasis. It's true that there is no stasis in nature. There is balance however. If there weren't we'd be overrun by cockroaches by now. Extinctions are a part of that balance. When climate conditions change radically, species that once thrived die out and new ones take their place - all the while maintaining the balance that sustains this planet for life. |
Then please explain to me what you mean by "balance". And how it relates to cockroaches. I don't know what you're getting at. |
I mean that the world always has exactly the right mixture of species to keep life going (even though the players are in a constant state of flux).
There's no reason - from an unthinking, uncaring natural selection standpoint - for it to be thus. If it truly is "the survival of the fittest", cockroaches would win out, take over the world, then die out too when their food sources ran out. The planet would then be dead - like every other planet we know of. (Of course, this is just an imaginary scenario where cockroaches just happen to win - you can substitute any "fit", rapidly reproducing species - it doesn't matter, one species should overtake all the others if there's no balance in nature).
That's what I mean by balance. |
Ok. Now I've three more questions for you, if you'll be so kind, to make sure I know where you're coming from:
Do you think God actively tweaks or toggles the various ecological mechanisms that keep population sizes in check? Or is it more of a case that the mechanisms have been set up ahead of time to ensure that no one species can outcompete all others?
What do you mean by "fit" species? Could you explain what characteristics they have? Or maybe give some examples of fit species that perhaps should take over the world but don't?
Have you ever thought that we are the cockroaches in your example above, and that since we've taken over the world and are now making a huge mess of it, our downfall is at hand? Didn't think so.
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