Malcolm;
Your comment is validated by (biological) evolutionary theory. Read "Ever
Since Darwin" (by S J Gould, Norton 1977) on speciation (such as the
development of the species in question here - Organismus learnus?). He
presents an idea that has stuck with me for some time.
"Allopatric" is considered the primary mode of speciation. Allopatric
means "in another place", meaning that new species arise in very SMALL
populations isolated from their parental (mainstream) group at the
periphery of the ancestral range. Small isolates allow very rapid
evolution to occur. A quote from page 61:
"(in large central populations) small changes occur to meet the
requirements of slowly altering climates, but major genetic
reorganizations almost always occur in the small, peripherally isolated
populations that form new species"
--My own increasing conviction is that perhaps there are no evolutionary
processes in the sense of progress along a defineable organizational
continuum or series of developmental stages. Instead, the practise of
learning concepts happens best in small, discrete locations and times
which only the passage of time itself may allow to produce a kind of
alignment that would then become normative for the whole. --
-- Charles Parry, Director Specialized Resources International Boston University Sargent Camp 36 Sargent Camp Road Hancock, New Hampshire 03449 USA Fax: 603.525.4151. Tel: 603.525.4451 Email: 74150.236@compuserve.com