I bet Charles Darwin never understood this: If the world could be described as truly survival-of-the-fittest, why would people collectively be stricken with the spirit of generosity in December?
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Survival of the most adaptable.
I'd say that we are stricken with the spirit of shopping mania, not generosity. Giving because it's expected of you is hardly generosity, it's just herd mentality.
Can you explain why it happens in December? Jesus was born during the spring.
Since we are the fittest, we can afford to be nice without worrying about surviving, it's not gonna be like
Bear 1: joe did you see that? The humans have been buying things for each other rather than themselves
Bear 2: I saw it too beo, ALL BEARS ATTAAAAAAACK!
And then the great bear uprising wipes out all the humans and the societies of earth are taken over by bears.
Thats not gonna happen because you decide to be kind.
> why would people collectively be stricken with the spirit of generosity in December
Because the people who benefit from it manipulate the rest. They exploit our tribe-loving instinct for their own gain.
Can't get much more survival-of-the-fittest than that.
I'll save Sarah from having to actually pick up the book of the long-dead scientist she is engaged in badmouthing on a daily basis. Social bonding is a big part of why humanity was fit, and why we DID survive. Christmas is hardly alone in all of the various ways we engage in this, but it is part of it on some level.
The other levels are largely there for the purposes of extracting wealth from people by establishing must-do gifts to maintain your social standing. Like most other holidays.
See, you are confusing the biological process of survival of the fittest (or "natural selection") with the idea of "social darwinism", which Darwin himself rejected. In fact, caring for the poor, helping others and working together might be seen as a survival characteristic for our species.
You ignorant moron.
According to professors of Theology - who thus know more about your 'belie fs' than you do - Jesus (if he existed [/Spartan Laconic Wit]) was born in September .
Christmas is merely the stealing of the pagan Winter Solstice Festival (just as Easter is pagan Eostre) by the early Christian church.
Y'know Ms. FAILin, Christmas is celebrated in Japan (particularly Xmas Eve; it's seen as a romantic time for couples)? Explain, please, if that is a mainly Shinto/Zen Buddhist country...?
Winter Solstice is a time of celebration of life - even in the depths of nature going into 'stasis' in the cold & darker months - and sharing, especially by Wiccans/Neo-Paganists. We Atheists are helping in their re-appropriating what was taken from them. And we celebrate Xmas, because we can .
I bet that really pisses you off! [/Clarence Boddicker]
@JeanP
"And was it her who could have been elected vice-president in 2008?"
No wonder Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize soon afterwards. [/'The Football']
Because our species evolved in groups so we depend on each other for survival? It only makes sense that during a time of need, like the middle of winter, that we would come together and make sure all our community can still eat.
Also as agriculture became a thing, we were even more fixated on the sun than ever before. When it went away our ancestors knew they couldn't grow anything very well. So on the shortest day, the winter solstice they would celebrate because that meant the sun would start to come back.
Because it's tradition, like setting off fireworks in July (in the US). Ultimately, though, altruism is the result of us being a tribal species and preserving our family and friends is just as important as preserving ourselves. Clearly that strategy has worked as we are now a 7-billion-strong species that has molded the environment to serve our every need to the point that we have enough free time and resources to be listening to morons like you who have enough free time and resources to sputter out "thoughts" like the one posted here.
Maybe because that is what the season is about? Also survival of the fittest would benefit from being good to each other. You should know this. Oh wait it is Sarah Palin. Even she, as stupid as she is, should know this
Because of Saturn. It's the feast of Saturn when masters were generous to their slaves.
I also think of the matchless lyrics of Tom Lehrer
"Hark the Herald Tribune sings, advertising wondrous things"
And
"Angels we have heard on high, tell us to go out and BUY"
If I thought that she had the first idea what is meant by "fittest" in this context I would mock her relentlessly. Sadly she just another deluded fundie who has decided to expound upon a subject of which they are, once again, informationally deficient. Educate yourself or shut the fuck up.
*slow, wobbly-handed facepalm in response to the spirit of Stupidity descending upon my brain*
Ow, my head!!! She's back.
Please don't make any more quotes, Palin! My brains are still reeling from the 2008 garbage.
It's important to note that mostly the generosity is shallow gifting to those one personally knows.
The charities work the other holidays more than normal periods also, entirely related to foot traffic increase.
In America, Christmas also start BEFORE they're done with Thanksgiving, easily the most productive month for retailers.
Besides, how is the church NOT a commercial venture itself and the recipient of most this generosity?
See, it's like this. The desire to survive and pass on one's genes is just that - passing on genes, not specifically reproducing oneself. How is that possible? Genes are shared among family. You share half your genes with a parent or sibling, a quarter with a grandparent or aunt/uncle, etc. Note that most of our altruism is dedicated toward family members - living in family units (when not sharing resources would be more beneficial to the individual, rather than the gene) is one good example. Bees, ants, and other eusocial insects are another; only one individual per colony (the queen) reproduces, while the rest exist to make sure the queen can spew out a crapton of babies and care for said crapton of babies. (Fun fact: when old-timey scientists were examining bee society, they named the largest bee the "king" because it was, well, the largest. They only changed it to "queen" when they figured out that it was the one having all the babies.)
Main point: if an individual's altruistic behavior causes those who share their genes most to reproduce more than said individual could do on their own, it is better for the gene -- NOT necessarily the individual. Remember, the gene itself is what gets passed on and survives throughout the generations.
Well, when you possess that specific Element of Harmony...:
image
...you know that Generosity comes maturally on Hearth's Warming Eve, darling! Just ask the fabulous Steven Magnet!
...oh, and please be a dear and ask Rainbow Dash this question: if it's all about this 'Survival of the Fittest' thing you're rambling on about, why isn't Roid Rage faster than her?!
image
...oh, and on the way there, I suggest you drop in on dear Fluttershy; I'm sure she'd like a word with you, concerning the 'Generosity' you show those poor defenceless animals. [/The Stare] o_O;
Survival of the fittest ended when humans started being less selfish and helped weaker humans.Besides,if survival of the fittest was really real in human society,many people who support it would be dead.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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