Comments on: Our Attraction to the End http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/02/22/our-attraction-to-the-end/ Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:08:56 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Olen Quaglieri http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/02/22/our-attraction-to-the-end/#comment-745 Olen Quaglieri Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:56:07 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=1838#comment-745 Hi, Neat post. There is an issue together with your website in internet explorer, may test this… IE nonetheless is the market leader and a large part of people will pass over your great writing because of this problem. Hi, Neat post. There is an issue together with your website in internet explorer, may test this… IE nonetheless is the market leader and a large part of people will pass over your great writing because of this problem.

]]> By: Guitchounts http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/02/22/our-attraction-to-the-end/#comment-744 Guitchounts Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:52:37 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=1838#comment-744 "He suggests that this habit of assuming the worst to stay out of danger evolved into our pattern-seeking habits" - that's called pessimism. Not everyone assumes the worst when they hear rustling in the Savannah grass; sometimes they're right to not fear, and sometimes not. The point is, we're not all pessimists. If there were any adaptive advantage to being afraid of everything, you'd bet that those who weren't afraid wouldn't be successful enough to pass on their genes and wouldn't be around today. But they are here today - I would bet that most college students (at least in the North East) don't believe in doomsday and the like. Michael Shermer may be a good skeptic, but he makes a lousy evolutionary biologist, based on what you write. “He suggests that this habit of assuming the worst to stay out of danger evolved into our pattern-seeking habits” – that’s called pessimism. Not everyone assumes the worst when they hear rustling in the Savannah grass; sometimes they’re right to not fear, and sometimes not.

The point is, we’re not all pessimists. If there were any adaptive advantage to being afraid of everything, you’d bet that those who weren’t afraid wouldn’t be successful enough to pass on their genes and wouldn’t be around today. But they are here today – I would bet that most college students (at least in the North East) don’t believe in doomsday and the like.

Michael Shermer may be a good skeptic, but he makes a lousy evolutionary biologist, based on what you write.

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