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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:34:14 AM EDT
[#1]
I'd prefer to have a tail.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:34:16 AM EDT
[#2]
It was either, we get big brains, or we get 4 legs. There wasnt a "get both" option.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:34:34 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
I'd prefer to have a tail. I got some tail this morning. 
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:36:52 AM EDT
[#4]
IIRC we can't run as fast but we can run a lot longer than most animals and we can carry water while doing it.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:37:08 AM EDT
[#5]
Wouldn't natural selection suggest we would be built like centaurs?
Imagine having the body of an elk and two gorilla arms! |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:38:24 AM EDT
[#6]
Uhhhh. We wouldn't be the dominant species on the planet if all our limbs were legs instead of arms....
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:38:43 AM EDT
[#7]
On the savannah, the extra height lets you see farther. I believe the Olive Baboon will stand upright at times and even walk a bit, in order to see farther. It also makes it easier to use tools, once your front legs are free.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:38:43 AM EDT
[#8]
Seems like two legs worked out just fine. Good enough for natural selection.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:38:54 AM EDT
[#9]
Some of us have 3 legs...
 Speed |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:39:47 AM EDT
[#10]
Its hard to fap with (your own) feet?
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:41:43 AM EDT
[#11]
The reason or reasons our ancestors went bipedal is still pretty contested. Being able to carry things is certainly up on the list of probabilities.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:42:19 AM EDT
[#12]
Going by the theory of evolution, it wasn't a "choice". The humans with four legs couldn't compete with the two legged humans, and died off. Let me know when you find those four legged human fossils. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:42:35 AM EDT
[#13]
4 legs, you wouldnt have the right to bear arms.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:43:05 AM EDT
[#14]
God made us in his image...
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:43:06 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Its hard to fap with (your own) feet? Ever been to the monkey exhibit at the zoo, it seems to work for some of them?
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:43:44 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted: Uhhhh. We wouldn't be the dominant species on the planet if all our limbs were legs instead of arms.... I didn't say we were to have no arms. OP edit. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:46:11 AM EDT
[#17]
I believe it has to do with the long duration of helplessness of infants. They had to be carried. Climbing probably came in handy as well. Thumbs for grasping.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:47:45 AM EDT
[#18]
Arms would be an advantage for climbing... away from 4-legged animals. Walking on two legs, and opposable thumbs allowing objects to be grasped, allowed us to use our arms and hands to manipulate "tools", that is, weapons. A stick as a club or pike, a rock, thrown or hammering, etc.
I think we did pretty well. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:48:48 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:50:16 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. Man invented automobiles so he could a)pick up chicks b)get away from the ones he already had. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:51:12 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted: Quoted: In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:51:52 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Going by the theory of evolution, it wasn't a "choice". The humans with four legs couldn't compete with the two legged humans, and died off. Let me know when you find those four legged human fossils. LEt me know when you get the slightest clue what the fuck you are talking about |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:53:32 AM EDT
[#23]
Four legs? It would be damn hard to design a nice comfy chair.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:55:06 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. Most people would die if they didn't have various "gadgets." We have removed natural selection from the equation in many ways. But if you randomly selected 200K people and dropped them tool less in africa and erased the rest of humanity, in 1000 years there would be a million people again. The hand and the brain is a HUGE advantage. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:55:38 AM EDT
[#25]
Before asking why humans don't have six limbs, you might want to ask why there aren't ANY land vertibrates with 6 limbs.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:55:45 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. We still have our problem solving brains, by far the most powerful weapon. Our minds continue to evolve and gain more knowledge. I think evolution has strengthened us by far. It shouldnt even be debatable. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:55:45 AM EDT
[#27]
We could have not started walking on two legs freeing up out hands for things like carrying weapons I guess. Be thankul though because prior to that we were often dinner for large predators.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:55:50 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. No. Our ability to create communities and improvise and create tools is a strength, not a weakness. Having unnecessary muscles and other features are the actual weakness, because they require additional calories to create or maintain, but are completely superfluous. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:56:49 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
Before asking why humans don't have six limbs, you might want to ask why there aren't ANY land vertibrates with 6 limbs. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile It's a good question. I assume it's because it's just too inefficient? |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 11:59:03 AM EDT
[#30]
Quoted:
Seems like two legs worked out just fine. Good enough for natural selection. This. The four-legged beasts had ample time to grow arms. They didn't. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:01:01 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Seems like two legs worked out just fine. Good enough for natural selection. This. The four-legged beasts had ample time to grow arms. They didn't. RACISM!!!!! |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:01:57 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
On the savannah, the extra height lets you see farther. I believe the Olive Baboon will stand upright at times and even walk a bit, in order to see farther. It also makes it easier to use tools, once your front legs are free. But most importantly, it allows for less exposure to sunlight when traveling in the open. Think about laying down on a hot day. You are getting baked by the sun. Can you imagine bear crawling in the harsh African heat? By being upright, less of your body is sucking in heat, but it's still sweating to dissipate heat. Plus bipedalism allows for the most efficient long-distance travel. We may not outrun the cheetah when he strikes, but he won't be able to follow us for long. Add in meat to allow for brain development to take advantage of hands and tools, and you have the beginnings of humans. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:02:21 PM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before asking why humans don't have six limbs, you might want to ask why there aren't ANY land vertibrates with 6 limbs. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile It's a good question. I assume it's because it's just too inefficient? Evolution VERY rarely just sprouts something new, it usually just modifies parts. Your anatomy is very similar,except in proportion to a lizard, even more similar to a mouse and much more similar to an ape.... there really are darned few new parts. You look across the kingdoms of life and you see the same thing. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:02:44 PM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. We were helpless before that adaptation. Do you think a four legged human would have had much luck in a fight with a Sabre Tooth? My money would be on the two legged human with a spear. As to why we don't have four legs and two arms I don't know. All I can say is for whatever reason nature never saw fit to produce a six legged mammal. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:02:57 PM EDT
[#35]
Quoted: Quoted: Before asking why humans don't have six limbs, you might want to ask why there aren't ANY land vertibrates with 6 limbs. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile It's a good question. I assume it's because it's just too inefficient? That the question I posed in OP, but I may have been unclear. Anyway, you can't discuss than having six limbs would offer the best of both worlds. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:03:45 PM EDT
[#36]
Science: It was much more efficient to stand upright and run than it was to use 4 legs to run.
Religion: God said so. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:04:35 PM EDT
[#37]
No thanks, I'll keep my opposable thumbs and be happy with evolution up to this point.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:05:21 PM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before asking why humans don't have six limbs, you might want to ask why there aren't ANY land vertibrates with 6 limbs. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile It's a good question. I assume it's because it's just too inefficient? That the question I posed in OP, but I may have been unclear. Anyway, you can't discuss than having six limbs would offer the best of both worlds. I answered it |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:07:41 PM EDT
[#39]
It is much easier to travel long distances using bipedal locomotion.
When the jungle started clearing away to savanna lands due to a shift in climate, the ape we evolved from found he had to travel long distances between each "island" of jungle left. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:08:04 PM EDT
[#40]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. No. Our ability to create communities and improvise and create tools is a strength, not a weakness. Having unnecessary muscles and other features are the actual weakness, because they require additional calories to create or maintain, but are completely superfluous. So I should stop going to the gym? 
Brains and brawn > brains alone. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:10:50 PM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
I believe it has to do with the long duration of helplessness of infants. They had to be carried. Climbing probably came in handy as well. Thumbs for grasping. It isn't likely due to the duration of infant helplessness. The disparity of infant helplessness between the bipedal hominids and chimps most likely grew with brain size- the majority of which occurred some 2-3 million years after the advent of bipedal locomotion. The legs came first, then the brains. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:12:11 PM EDT
[#42]
IIRC, humans are one of the top distance runner species on the planet. Also, primates in general are quite adept at climbing with the current equipment.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:12:24 PM EDT
[#43]
Because our distant ancestors with a penchant for walking upright had more success at living long enough to reproduce.
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:12:36 PM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. Most people would die if they didn't have various "gadgets." We have removed natural selection from the equation in many ways. But if you randomly selected 200K people and dropped them tool less in africa and erased the rest of humanity, in 1000 years there would be a million people again. The hand and the brain is a HUGE advantage. Only a million? That would take less than 100 years. There were something like 60 or 80 million humans living in present day Mexico with stone age tools and weapons when Cortez invaded in 1520 |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:13:03 PM EDT
[#45]
Quoted: It is much easier to travel long distances using bipedal locomotion. When the jungle started clearing away to savanna lands due to a shift in climate, the ape we evolved from found he had to travel long distances between each "island" of jungle left. Horses, elephants, just to name a few, can cover immense distances - in much less time than a human can. an ape isn't designed for long distance traveling, but it's our closest relative, so I understand it's our reference point. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:13:38 PM EDT
[#46]
Quoted:
Going by the theory of evolution, it wasn't a "choice". The humans with four legs couldn't compete with the two legged humans, and died off. Let me know when you find those four legged human fossils. Are you really being serious? |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:14:13 PM EDT
[#47]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In a fight, you just can't outrun most four-legged animals, or deal with terrain as they do. And the upright position isn't all that of an advantage either, if we're not wielding any weapon: every video you see, the first thing that happens in a human vs. animal fight ( dog, lion, whatever ) is that we loose our balance and fall. If that's a flaw, I don't know what else is. Man is the tool bearing animal. Man developed automobiles so he could outrun animals and firearms so he could shoot them. There is no reason to have a foot race with an animal or to confront a dangerous animal without a weapon. Those who do so simply show that evolution is not complete. So, basically evolution has weakened us, and we are hopeless without our gadgets. No. Our ability to create communities and improvise and create tools is a strength, not a weakness. Having unnecessary muscles and other features are the actual weakness, because they require additional calories to create or maintain, but are completely superfluous. So I should stop going to the gym?
Brains and brawn > brains alone. I don't think you have ever had to hunt on the African Savanah with a sharpened stick to survive. If you did you wouldn't survive looking like an iron pumper. (I have no idea what you look like) You want to see the ideal natural human look at an african bushman or australian aborigine |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:14:50 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted: God made us in his image... /thread |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:16:15 PM EDT
[#49]
Quoted: it looks to me like there'd be no reason to start living upright if we didn't develop a reason for this - EG toolmaking.Quoted: I believe it has to do with the long duration of helplessness of infants. They had to be carried. Climbing probably came in handy as well. Thumbs for grasping. It isn't likely due to the duration of infant helplessness. The disparity of infant helplessness between the bipedal hominids and chimps most likely grew with brain size- the majority of which occurred some 2-3 million years after the advent of bipedal locomotion. The legs came first, then the brains. |
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Posted: 8/13/2011 12:16:27 PM EDT
[#50]
Quoted:
Quoted:
It is much easier to travel long distances using bipedal locomotion. When the jungle started clearing away to savanna lands due to a shift in climate, the ape we evolved from found he had to travel long distances between each "island" of jungle left. Horses, elephants, just to name a few, can cover immense distances - in much less time than a human can. an ape isn't designed for long distance traveling, but it's our closest relative, so I understand it's our reference point. No they can't. They also must consume far more energy for the same distance. |
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