Thought Experiment
Which form of goverment would evolution create? I was thinking that a monarchy would be most conducive to evolution. Heads of state are determined by birth. Whatever traits that gave the king the crown is more likely to be carried by their offspring then someone select by the whole community.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Evolution relies on flexibility, adaptation, something the monarchy system is not terribly good at. Sure, it was the main form of government for thousands of years, but times changed. They were not able to stay in power once the serfs decided not to take crap anymore. Plus, just because the monarch’s genetic line was well adapted to one time doesn’t mean it will be well adapted for all time.
Also, the traits that gave the king the crown to begin with may have been brutality and use of force. And yes, this trait would allow his line to stay in power. However, is this the ideal form of government? History has shown us that it is neither ideal, nor will it last.
But to answer your question, What form of government would evolution create? Clearly, it is a democratically elected representative government. Since that is what evolution has created. It’s more flexible than a monarchy, as it constantly self-corrects through attrition (just like evolution). Also, it keeps the non-ruling classes happier, which is an important factor to consider since an angry bunch of peasants can bring down an overbearing king.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Silly question. Evolution could create many governmental systems and has. That’s why we have many now.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Evolution creates a large diversity of things to fill every available niche. The government that surrvives with a poorly educated populace and a tightly centralized military is different from the government that will survive with a highly educated and milita-minded citizenry. Which is why there are so many different types of governments.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Out of curiosity, does evolution explain the cosmos? Is there anything evolution can’t explain?
July 25th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
ummm, evolution only explains the development of DNA based organism on Earth (and actually it doesn’t EXPLAIN it, it’s a DESCRIPTION of it). Anything else, like this blog post, is just using evolution as a metaphor for how things develop and change over time.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
evolution requires a genetic code and generational reproduction
July 26th, 2008 at 1:48 am
….. what do you think will be at the win in the evolutionary process in the fast food industry: the Big Mac or the Big King XXL with Bacon and Cheese?? I agree, couldn’t sleep because of that silly government-question of yours (well, of course I couldn’t sleep either now that I know that Barack is in Berlin, the savior arrived, more on that after I read the relevant news relating to his visit), that only suggests that you have understood the very rudimentary concepts of evolutionary theory, yet that it is not applicable to EVERYTHING. Well, at any rate, didn’t I send you the very impressive link to Darwin’s original work the other day? Make your homework and stop abusing evolutinary theory for populist “Who wins, who looses”-qustions, here it is again: http://darwin-online.org.uk/