Comments on: Charles Darwin, Kabbalist and Other Republican Anti-Semitic Rants http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/ Essays on politics, culture and ideas about Israeli-Arab peace and world music Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:39:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: sarah palin: only good for one thing | get angry WITH me http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/#comment-102350 sarah palin: only good for one thing | get angry WITH me Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:31:10 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/kabbalah-as/#comment-102350 [...] the so-called “right to life”? i think the bible-thumpers simply wouldn’t have a jew on the [...] [...] the so-called “right to life”? i think the bible-thumpers simply wouldn’t have a jew on the [...]

]]> By: Dan Sniderman http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/#comment-7239 Dan Sniderman Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:05:04 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/kabbalah-as/#comment-7239 I love it - he went for the "Some of my best friends are Jewish" defense - is this the 1950's or what (well in Texas....) I love it - he went for the “Some of my best friends are Jewish” defense - is this the 1950’s or what (well in Texas….)

]]> By: Jason Truesdell http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/#comment-7226 Jason Truesdell Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:18:39 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/kabbalah-as/#comment-7226 Clearly intelligence is a huge part of the evolutionary advantage that gave humanity the chance to rise to dominance... That's a pretty substantial part of the story of evolution. but it's also true that, in our complex society, intelligence is sometimes an advantage, and sometimes a disadvantage. Sometimes it's important to be able to beat up the bad guy, and sometimes it's better to outwit him. Sometimes smart girls play dumb. Sometimes being able to comparatively analyze the theories of Max Weber and Karl Marx can be useful to provide insight into a social problem, but it won't necessarily be amusing at a party. Besides, there are lots of kinds of intelligence. Being able to empathize with people is one kind of intelligence; analyzing complex mathematical problems is one kind; being able to figure out what kind of political posture will make you more powerful is also a kind of intelligence. Hopefully Mr. Chisum has figured wrong. Clearly intelligence is a huge part of the evolutionary advantage that gave humanity the chance to rise to dominance… That’s a pretty substantial part of the story of evolution. but it’s also true that, in our complex society, intelligence is sometimes an advantage, and sometimes a disadvantage. Sometimes it’s important to be able to beat up the bad guy, and sometimes it’s better to outwit him. Sometimes smart girls play dumb. Sometimes being able to comparatively analyze the theories of Max Weber and Karl Marx can be useful to provide insight into a social problem, but it won’t necessarily be amusing at a party.

Besides, there are lots of kinds of intelligence. Being able to empathize with people is one kind of intelligence; analyzing complex mathematical problems is one kind; being able to figure out what kind of political posture will make you more powerful is also a kind of intelligence. Hopefully Mr. Chisum has figured wrong.

]]> By: Richard Silverstein http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/#comment-7225 Richard Silverstein Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:28:05 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/kabbalah-as/#comment-7225 All points well taken. I wonder how much natural selection takes intelligence into account. Is being dumb a factor that would tend to work against one's evolutionary continuity? All points well taken. I wonder how much natural selection takes intelligence into account. Is being dumb a factor that would tend to work against one’s evolutionary continuity?

]]> By: Jason Truesdell http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/charles-darwin-kabbalist/#comment-7224 Jason Truesdell Mon, 19 Feb 2007 04:39:49 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2007/02/17/kabbalah-as/#comment-7224 Just a minor quibble: "Survival of the fittest" is an economic interpretation of Darwinism, originating from Herbert Spencer. Though Darwin apparently accepted the phrasing at some point, it seems primarily favored by those promoting regressive, even hostile economic and social policies. Biologists tend to prefer "natural selection," as it's a bit less politically charged, and in some ways is more specific. More importantly, natural selection doesn't imply that the poorly adapted SHOULDN'T survive, merely that over generations the better-adapted will thrive and the poorly adapted tend not to. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest It seems that in many political districts it's easier to survive by adapting to the prejudices and insecurities of the constituency... But I hope this crosses the line for them by embarrassing the Republicans. It's incredibly bizarre to make the argument that evolution is a Jewish religious doctrine; I wonder how these nuts explain away Charles Darwin's Christian upbringing (was losing faith some sort of Kabbalistic conspiracy?) Just a minor quibble: “Survival of the fittest” is an economic interpretation of Darwinism, originating from Herbert Spencer. Though Darwin apparently accepted the phrasing at some point, it seems primarily favored by those promoting regressive, even hostile economic and social policies. Biologists tend to prefer “natural selection,” as it’s a bit less politically charged, and in some ways is more specific. More importantly, natural selection doesn’t imply that the poorly adapted SHOULDN’T survive, merely that over generations the better-adapted will thrive and the poorly adapted tend not to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest

It seems that in many political districts it’s easier to survive by adapting to the prejudices and insecurities of the constituency… But I hope this crosses the line for them by embarrassing the Republicans. It’s incredibly bizarre to make the argument that evolution is a Jewish religious doctrine; I wonder how these nuts explain away Charles Darwin’s Christian upbringing (was losing faith some sort of Kabbalistic conspiracy?)

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