10 Comments
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Logan Stanfield's avatar

Could be worse. Could be a Flames fan

Philosopher of the Oil Sands's avatar

Well I'm a Jets fan so I'm already accustomed to a wretched and base existence.

Logan Stanfield's avatar

That's rough, dude. Just discovered you through the algo. It's good shit, reminds me why Alberta will always be home

Samara's avatar

this was so incredibly interesting and I learned a great deal and agree with your conclusions... that said I will absolutely be squishing any ancient and venerable creatures that scurry across my kitchen floor

Philosopher of the Oil Sands's avatar

Thank you!

And yes I agree completely. We can venerate the cockroach without letting him infest our homes, just as we can admire the regal lion without trying to pet him.

Samara's avatar

ha great comparison - agreed!

Negentrope's avatar

Is the fact that the cockroach hasn't change in 300 million years a sign of its success or its stagnation? Yes, it has survived where many others have gone extinct. But hasn't it done so by trapping itself with an evolutionary strategy so effective that it has no selective pressure to break out of it? Others that were more specialized went extinct, but some while they persisted they pushed life into new forms and metabolisms. Into new ways of being.

Which is the more worthy achievement?

Philosopher of the Oil Sands's avatar

That is a fair point. But does the need for evolution not itself indicate a deficiency? The fact that the cockroach has survived for so long without needing to change suggests that he has achieved a near perfect formula for survivability.

On the other hand, I suppose it depends what your criteria for success are, whether mere survivability or some kind of perfectability and progress beyond that.

ediblspaceships's avatar

More Cockroach Less Dodo!