12-13-2010, 03:33 AM
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#16
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Obsessed Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: U.K. London
Posts: 1,987
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Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
Why we like to watch the sunset?
A new common question asked by theists...
Other variants on this:
'How does evolution explain why we like flowers?'
'How does evolution explain why we like colours?'
etc
Any good responses to this?
Try to keep it simple they dont understand big words.
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If you want genuine answers then you might have better luck not framing your questions along the lines of "can your cold, hard science explain something beautiful, warm and fuzzy?"
I mean seriously!...I can almost see the tears and hear the sniffles in your tone.
Evolution may be thought of by some theists as the linchpin holding e.g. rational humanism together but it is by no means a panacea for our theist-created ills (we have other scientific disciplines for that) and is certainly not required to answer everything.
A more fruitful line of questioning would begin with why do YOU think we like to watch sunsets?
Invisibility and nothingness look an awful lot alike.
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12-13-2010, 04:47 AM
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#17
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I Live Here
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 23,211
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Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
Why we like to watch the sunset?
A new common question asked by theists...
Other variants on this:
'How does evolution explain why we like flowers?'
'How does evolution explain why we like colours?'
etc
Any good responses to this?
Try to keep it simple they dont understand big words.
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The sunset and the flowers and the colors are there even if there were no humans to take notice of them.
Why were we made to appreciate them as being beautiful and not a sparkling trail of slug slime or the lovely song of the bat or the aroma of well ripened carrion or the much richer myriads of colors beyond ultra-violet?
Beauty is the absence of appearances that threaten us. A beautiful sunset lets us think a storm is unlikely soon. Flowers with bright colors suggest that the area where they grow is healthy, that is, not diseased or poisoned. Colors in general are scarce in hostile places (Like so much of Palestine) that seeing them is a real relief.
Human beauty is also largely a matter of seeking signs of health and ability to produce healthy offspring. Features like symmetry, lack of signs of disease, (in women) curves predicting successful carriage and birth of children.
Some people find beetles and squid beautiful and fascinating so there is nothing intrinsic in the beauty of a sunset, it is a construct of the human mind using a facility for discernment that helped us to survive.
At bottom, there is nothing magical about the human capacity for judging elements of nature as being more or less desirable. And the lack of any spiritual component does not, in the least, diminish the feelings of awe and contentment at seeing one of our region's infrequently visible sunsets or too frequent rainbows.
"Those who most loudly proclaim their honesty are least likely to possess it."
"Atheism: rejecting all absurdity." S.H.
"Reality, the God alternative"
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12-13-2010, 04:56 AM
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#18
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I Live Here
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 23,211
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Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
Thanks for all the useless responses.
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Oh, no, thank you for the dishonest questions.
Here is one in return: why do theists think that god is so very fond of violence, torment and bloodshed? Is there a non-evolutionary explanation for this terrible belief?
A closely related question: why does God (MNQB) deliberately create people who will turn out to be evil and be destined for Hell?
"Those who most loudly proclaim their honesty are least likely to possess it."
"Atheism: rejecting all absurdity." S.H.
"Reality, the God alternative"
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12-13-2010, 07:50 PM
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#19
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Obsessed Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,902
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Quote:
Sternwallow wrote
The sunset and the flowers and the colors are there even if there were no humans to take notice of them.
Why were we made to appreciate them as being beautiful and not a sparkling trail of slug slime or the lovely song of the bat or the aroma of well ripened carrion or the much richer myriads of colors beyond ultra-violet?
Beauty is the absence of appearances that threaten us. A beautiful sunset lets us think a storm is unlikely soon. Flowers with bright colors suggest that the area where they grow is healthy, that is, not diseased or poisoned. Colors in general are scarce in hostile places (Like so much of Palestine) that seeing them is a real relief.
Human beauty is also largely a matter of seeking signs of health and ability to produce healthy offspring. Features like symmetry, lack of signs of disease, (in women) curves predicting successful carriage and birth of children.
Some people find beetles and squid beautiful and fascinating so there is nothing intrinsic in the beauty of a sunset, it is a construct of the human mind using a facility for discernment that helped us to survive.
At bottom, there is nothing magical about the human capacity for judging elements of nature as being more or less desirable. And the lack of any spiritual component does not, in the least, diminish the feelings of awe and contentment at seeing one of our region's infrequently visible sunsets or too frequent rainbows.
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Nice. I've always thought that we enjoy a rich variety and intensity of colors because this utilizes our full visual range and capacity.
"If God inspired the Bible, why is it such a piece of shit?" (Kaziglu Bey)
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12-13-2010, 09:07 PM
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#20
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I Live Here
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 20,925
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Quote:
lostsheep wrote
Nice. I've always thought that we enjoy a rich variety and intensity of colors because this utilizes our full visual range and capacity.
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It's all just a part of the Basic Leprechaun Pleasure Package. If you upgrade to premium membership, you get 17 extra colors.
The Leprechauns do not forbid the drawing of Their images, as long as we color within the lines. ~ Ghoulslime H Christ, Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Masturbator
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12-16-2010, 10:48 AM
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#21
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Obsessed Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,422
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Divinityof Reason.
If you have to pose the question in that form, you are unlikely to understand the reply. However, instead of looking for a potted answer you could read a couple of books. I suggest "Why evolution is true" by Jerry A. Coyne for a start. Brilliant book, highly readable and hugely persuasive.
There are, of course, many people who will never be persuaded by evolution and its explanations as they begin in a religious mental dungeon with a closed mind, select what suits them and reject what doesn't, and always end up where they started. Whether you are in that catergory, I don't know.
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12-21-2010, 09:05 AM
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#22
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Obsessed Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 4,765
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Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
Why we like to watch the sunset?
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I don't like to watch the sun set.
Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
'How does evolution explain why we like flowers?'
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I'm allergic to flowers.
Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
'How does evolution explain why we like colours?'
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I'm colour-blind.
a‧the‧ist (n): one who remains unconvinced.
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12-21-2010, 10:41 AM
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#23
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I Live Here
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,158
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Quote:
anthonyjfuchs wrote
I don't like to watch the sun set.
I'm allergic to flowers.
I'm colour-blind.
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It appeas you have evolved into a species that can avoid the perils of colour.
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12-22-2010, 02:50 PM
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#24
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New Member!
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 16
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Quote:
Sternwallow wrote
Oh, no, thank you for the dishonest questions.
Here is one in return: why do theists think that god is so very fond of violence, torment and bloodshed? Is there a non-evolutionary explanation for this terrible belief?
A closely related question: why does God (MNQB) deliberately create people who will turn out to be evil and be destined for Hell?
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I don't know maybe you should ask a theist
Thanks for your previous response though.
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02-06-2011, 07:42 PM
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#25
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 97
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Quote:
DivinityofReason wrote
Why we like to watch the sunset?
A new common question asked by theists...
Other variants on this:
'How does evolution explain why we like flowers?'
'How does evolution explain why we like colours?'
etc
Any good responses to this?
Try to keep it simple they dont understand big words.
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Looking at how you are asking the question, it doesn't seem like you have put any real effort in studying evolution yourself. And if you really want to get the answers to your questions you are much better suited asking the biology professor at your local college or university.
However, I will try my best to answer your questions with two videos that come to mind. The first one is from Denis Dutton on the Darwinian theory of Beauty from one of the TedTalks on Youtube. The second is a video explaining our visual system and how we interpret colors also from Youtube and TedTalks.
Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty
Beau Lotto: Optical illusions show how we see
I really do hope your question is being asked sincerely and not just to try and prove a smart-ass point as a theist.
If you really intend to learn more, I'd highly advise you go talk to your local biology professor at your university as your question itself is not that of a difficult one. Mind you, this forum is for atheists, not biology experts.
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02-06-2011, 09:10 PM
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#26
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 97
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Biology Forum - subforum Evolution
I'd also suggest you ask your question in the above link to a biology forum if your not satisfied with the answers you got here.
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03-07-2011, 06:10 AM
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#27
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Stinkin' Mod
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Britland
Posts: 13,616
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It's not just christards who make themselves look perennially stupid when trying to hammer the square peg of evolution into their god's round hole - our jizzlam crazy friends also fly the loony flag whenever the subject crops up.
Quote:
One Wanker wrote
i would like to know, if the theory is true, and we grow what we need, why do we walk on two legs, walking on four is much more balanced and faster,
and why dont we have an eye in the back of our head? and why dont our heads spin all the way around? and why only five fingers? surely more would be better, even gripping in trees and grabbing wayward women
there are other "what ifs" but suffice it to say, if what these evolutionists say are true, why have we stopped evolving and where are the humans that are evolving slower and faster? we all develop at the same rate?
and why are there still monkeys? or are they really the slower developing humans? if so, where are the half-monkey, half humans, who are still evolving?
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Stop the Holy See men!
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03-07-2011, 06:32 AM
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#28
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Mistress Monster Mod'rator Spy
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The North Coast
Posts: 15,428
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"I do not intend to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death."
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
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03-07-2011, 01:26 PM
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#29
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I Live Here
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 23,211
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Yeah, if we are evolving, why don't we all believe in evolution?
"Those who most loudly proclaim their honesty are least likely to possess it."
"Atheism: rejecting all absurdity." S.H.
"Reality, the God alternative"
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03-08-2011, 03:13 AM
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#30
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I Live Here
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,158
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A better question for this thread would be, "can religion explain dark matter"?
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