You're saying that, even though we can make predictions about how beneficial a trait is and study the results, there's no way to prove that our results were due to Natural Selection and not, say, the Invisible Nature Pixie or something like that? Because, regardless of the results, they can be explained by both hypotheses and therefore, no results could ever show that either of those hypotheses were wrong?
The only thing I would like to add is that you should either skip or change the phrase 'beneficial trait'.
If changed, I'd say 'a trait that is selected for'.
In some cases we can predict/suspect that certain traits will be selected for in nature, but those are usually isolated cases. In general it is impossible to make predictions.
Lets take the example 'size'. There are of cource many genes involved in determining the size of an individual, but cases are known where a small mutation can dramatically change the size of an individual. Darfism is a famous example, but there are more.
In any case, there are advantages to being big and there are advantages to being small. So a 'big' gene is not inherently 'beneficial', neither is a 'small' gene (leaving aside many disadvantages dwarfism causes aside from just a smaller size).
So a trait is only beneficial when placed in an organism, in a population, in an ecological system.
Hence there is basically no way of saying that a specific trait is beneficial. One can test a specific trait in a specific organism, population and ecological system and expect the results to replicate the next time a similar trait is introduced in the same way, but then it's still problematic to call it 'beneficial', because it is not inherently beneficial, but only 'preferably selected in the specific situation'.
Natural selection
06/08/2011 03:51:26 PM
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selection for suitability
06/08/2011 04:18:51 PM
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Thanks for your responce
06/08/2011 04:41:20 PM
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I can't speak for LadyLorraine and won't try, but here's how I see it:
06/08/2011 06:49:49 PM
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Just a question
06/08/2011 07:18:09 PM
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Yes it can
06/08/2011 07:41:59 PM
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But how?
06/08/2011 07:52:10 PM
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Okay, I think I see what you're saying
08/08/2011 05:30:43 PM
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Close
08/08/2011 05:41:46 PM
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Re: Just a question
06/08/2011 07:49:21 PM
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I'm not sure I understand you
06/08/2011 08:20:44 PM
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All tautologies are truisms, but not all truisms are tautologies.
06/08/2011 09:38:12 PM
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Then it is still a tautology
06/08/2011 09:45:33 PM
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You can know it's beneifical to a particular individual, but it's harder to say for populations.
06/08/2011 10:18:16 PM
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Maybe...
07/08/2011 01:55:54 PM
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I'm more inclined toward his logic, but possibly toward your conclusions.
09/08/2011 12:45:46 AM
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we can't really know ahead of time what makes a specific trait benefical in that environment
09/08/2011 06:16:02 PM
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As I understand it
06/08/2011 06:04:44 PM
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Better...
06/08/2011 06:36:38 PM
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Did you perhaps mean "beneficial in the environment" rather than "beneficial to the environment"?
06/08/2011 06:34:44 PM
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yes. I did not really phrase that very clearly. *NM*
09/08/2011 06:14:11 PM
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No biggy; from what Bram said, I underestimated how well you were understood anyway.
09/08/2011 06:45:16 PM
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Hmmm... there's some truth to that
06/08/2011 06:36:35 PM
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The complexity of the problem makes it all but impossible to falsify...
06/08/2011 08:26:06 PM
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The questions go deeper
06/08/2011 08:38:31 PM
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Re: The questions go deeper
06/08/2011 09:10:32 PM
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I think I know why you don't understand my question.
06/08/2011 09:38:41 PM
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How many equation's has Moraine screwed up? *NM*
06/08/2011 09:45:36 PM
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100% I think Moriaine is a very beneficial trait that contributes a lot to the RAFO pool *NM*
06/08/2011 09:46:54 PM
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Re: Natural selection
07/08/2011 03:00:30 AM
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Thanks a lot
07/08/2011 01:38:39 PM
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2 things
07/08/2011 04:00:35 PM
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Re: 2 things
07/08/2011 04:33:00 PM
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Re: 2 things
07/08/2011 05:48:26 PM
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My best guess
07/08/2011 06:00:28 PM
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Re: My best guess
07/08/2011 06:37:58 PM
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Re: My best guess
07/08/2011 06:47:26 PM
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