kr@cker
Bringin' Sexy Back!
+581|6778|Southeastern USA
I think what he was trying to say is that overall the caucasian culture has had the heaviest hand in technological developement, again due to environment, throughout history the need to explore has gone hand in hand with the need to invent (as well as war), and the mostly caucsian societies have continued to explore long after arab and asian cultures turned isolationist, in effect creating their own "dark ages" as the europeans did when they decided that nothing else could be discovered (what the hell was up with that?), I don't necessarily believe it's a matter of genetics, as a matter of culture, it was just coincidence that the "white" culture was the one to be the most exploratory, it african nations had been the most exploratory/colonial than they would have been the most technological, keep in mind, many of the examples you listed are ancient and some disputable


and gunpowder was a failed attempt by chinese monks trying to formulate an aphrodesiac.......OUCH!!
Ilocano
buuuurrrrrrppppp.......
+341|6896

kr@cker wrote:

I think what he was trying to say is that overall the caucasian culture has had the heaviest hand in technological developement, again due to environment, throughout history the need to explore has gone hand in hand with the need to invent (as well as war), and the mostly caucsian societies have continued to explore long after arab and asian cultures turned isolationist, in effect creating their own "dark ages" as the europeans did when they decided that nothing else could be discovered (what the hell was up with that?), I don't necessarily believe it's a matter of genetics, as a matter of culture, it was just coincidence that the "white" culture was the one to be the most exploratory, it african nations had been the most exploratory/colonial than they would have been the most technological, keep in mind, many of the examples you listed are ancient and some disputable


and gunpowder was a failed attempt by chinese monks trying to formulate an aphrodesiac.......OUCH!!
But the J-10 is superior to the F35B.

Yeah, currently, the Western world has the advantage.  Just give it time though.  Some interesting stuff are coming out from Indian and Chinese minds...  Plenty of innovations coming out from Asia.

Makes you wonder how different life would be if Attila managed to completely conquer Europe.

Last edited by Ilocano (2006-07-14 09:06:25)

CackNBallz
Member
+45|6972|Toronto, Canada

Pug wrote:

No - cultural difference, not race.

Book - Guns, Germs & Steel, by Jared Diamond. 

Theory - domestication of crops & animals lead to an easier life, allowing people more "free time" to spend on other things - like inventions, art, etc.  Even supporting a specialization for a standing army.  Basically the areas where the climate was similar allowed the civilization to spread faster due to the plant domestication, allowing them to be dominant.  Africa, Aussieland, and the Americas did not fair well because the climate changes with latitude with expansion, ie. Eurasia is VERY wide East to West and a similar climate.

However, the theory has been criticized because it's too simplistic.  Similar to the theory you are debating.

Here's a link.  Interesting because it seems plausible - the guy did his homework.

http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/
HAHA! I am currently reading this book and plan on finishing it on my vacation trip to Cuba this weekend!  It is an excellent read and the theories he puts out are excellently written and backed up with different facets of science from botany, ethno-phyisiology, geology, etc.

It has nothing to do with race, but more to do with the environment and having domesticated animals and plants (farming) instead of the hunter-gatherer.

In regards to the current situation in Africa, well there are a lot of religious and political upheaval, the governments do not have that much control or resources.  The people themselves live in fear of warlords that steal any medicine or food aid that comes and they rape, raze and pillage the villagers and villages.

You will have to thank Russia, France  and the U.S. for providing the weapons to these guys.

The problems with blacks in other countries is largely due to socio-economic reasons, rather than just the ignorant theory of being genetically predisposed to be violent.
he_who_says_zonk
Member
+17|6949
Look, 95% of the arguments have been BS. Basically whatever preconceptions you have about race and identity, the scientific fact is:

BY LOOKING AT SOMEONE'S GENES / DNA, YOU CAN NOT TELL WHAT RACE THEY ARE

There is no genetic code for race. We are all the same at that level. You cannot predict someone's behaviour or personality or anything about a person / culture by looking at their DNA.

That should really be the end of the argument but I know that a lot of people won't think so. Arguments are rarely won by science and usually won by whoever shouts the loudest and longest. Go for it.

If anyone is interested in why it's been Causasian people treating the rest of the world like crap and not vice versa, there's a few great books including

- "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond, about why it was Europe doing the invading

- "1421: The Year China Discovered The World", basically China sent a massive fleet around the globe long before anyone

There are others but these two give you the main ideas.

edit: Glad to see other people mentioned Guns Germs and Steel

Last edited by he_who_says_zonk (2006-07-14 08:51:22)

kr@cker
Bringin' Sexy Back!
+581|6778|Southeastern USA
how can you possibly say that DNA has nothing to do with a persons physiology, DNA IS physiology, and genetic evolution is a direct result of adaptation to environment, find any biologist not scared of being politically incorrect, and they will tell you the same
PuckMercury
6 x 9 = 42
+298|6756|Portland, OR USA

kr@cker wrote:

how can you possibly say that DNA has nothing to do with a persons physiology, DNA IS physiology, and genetic evolution is a direct result of adaptation to environment, find any biologist not scared of being politically incorrect, and they will tell you the same
qft

Just because we can't tell by looking at their DNA doesn't mean that the information isn't there.  We looked at the sky forever and knew that the sun orbitted us.  We roamed the earth for millenia and knew that it was flat.  The fact that we can't tell race from looking at genetic code is a testament to our relative ignorance to it, not to the lack of information.  The genetic code contains EVERYTHING which determines how you look and your disposition to health risks even.  One day we will be able to simply look at that code and figure out exactly what someone would look like.  Just becasue we can't now doesn't mean anything other than the knowledge eludes us.

Last edited by puckmercury (2006-07-14 11:35:15)

-=raska=-
Canada's French Frog
+123|6855|Quebec city, Canada

DrM wrote:

Yes.

There are differences between the various races.
Sports are a good example of the differences between the races.
The vast majority of the top sprinters are negro, the vast majority of the top swimmers are caucasians, the vast majority of the top badminton & table tennis players are asian.

Given that there are these physical differences that have been developed over a hundered thousand years, why could there not be mental differences as well?
I was thinking about that too...

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