Repubs should absolutely LOVE the Theory of Evolution

[bleedingheart]

From Wikipedia...

"Natural selection can be expressed as the following general law (taken from the conclusion of The Origin of Species):

IF there are organisms that reproduce, and
IF offspring inherit traits from their progenitor(s), and
IF there is variability of traits, and
IF the environment cannot support all members of a growing population,
THEN those members of the population with less-adaptive traits (determined by the environment) will die out, and
THEN those members with more-adaptive traits (determined by the environment) will thrive "

This sums up the concept of "survival of the fittest". When Darwin published his theories, a fellow named Herbert Spencer then applied it to human society and many of the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age were quick point to Spencer's ideas to prove that they were in fact entitled to their wealth. This gave rise to Social Darwinism....Here is an excerpt from the link below.

" It was Spencer who coined the term "survival of the fittest," using it to apply to the fate of rich and poor in a laissez faire capitalist society. Spencer argued that there was nothing unnatural -- and therefore wrong -- with competing and then rising to the top in a cut- throat capitalist world."

For more on this... read this link...Andrew Carnegie was a big fan of Spencers...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande03.html

Funny part is that Christianity, (the actual teachings of Jesus not the Old Testament part), tries to teach us to ignore the "animal" part of our existence and to take in the weak, to nurture the sick and to give to the poor....HOWEVER Christian Republicans are those that ignore Christ's teachings and will spout forth rhetoric like ..."those people should pull themselves up by their bootstrap", "no one helped me...I helped myself" (just reeks of social darwinism)...but on the other hand they want to teach their kids that the earth was created in 6 days??????

[rock]

1. I prefer my own way of putting "Natural Selection"

If your parents didn't have any children, then chances are you won't either.

[bleedingheart]

2. hahaha

pretty funny...

[DS1]

3. Disagree

Creationism and a 'master plan' is a way to keep the rednecks and 'heartlanders' voting for them, because they're more likely to think that it's God's will, not corporate and political greed that's keeping them living in trailers and working (losing limbs and lives) for big agri.

[bleedingheart]

4. good point...keep the masses stupid in order to assure

your own success....in a way it is the Social Darwinists using Creationism as a tool for their survival...

[cloud_chaser1]

5. Tom DeLay vs Intelligent Design

DeLay is proof that we arose from the primordial ooze. No G-d or intelligent designer would ever produce a scumbag like DeLay.

Simply DeLay proves evolution.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Social Darwinism

[bleedingheart]

7. and that sums up Neo Con policy...

read this from Rick Santorum...

"Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Senator who recently likened gay behavior to bestiality is at it again. In opposing additional childcare funds for poor welfare-to- work participants, he argued, according to the Los Angeles Times, "making people struggle a little bit is not necessarily the worst thing."

At the same time, he has championed every tax cut and every tax break for the rich. Santorum believes in the class struggle as long as it's only the poor who struggle.
"
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/15/045123.php

[BurtWorm]

8. Social Darwinism is not Darwinism.

The theory of natural selection describes a universe that is not always very nice, but it does not inherently rule out altruism, if altruism helps a species to survive. In fact, some sociobiologists think religion is hard-wired precisely because it benefited survival of the species somehow.