re: #367 Ben Hur

OUr brains will not allow nature to take its course.

When asked why she is a vegetarian, even though it is not natural, my SIL always answers that our with our modern intelligence, we should know better, and overcome nature.

I see something similar in modern Natural Selection. Our intelligence, or emotions, really, will not allow Natural Selection to occur if it isn’t fair to those who aren’t selected.

Well, vegetarianism is ‘natural’ in the sense that humans around the world have chosen it for at least thousands of years for different philosophical, practical, personal and religious reasons. Similarly, humans make societies, and care for one another, and I would argue that is a part of our natural selection. A group that takes care of a frail old lady is a group that passes better information on the next generation about what plants you can eat, and how to stay warm in the cave.

I don’t know where the line between practical development and moral consciousness is, but I think both play a role in who we are as a species.