Monday, March 24, 2014

A Brief Response to "Human Facial Expressions..."

The French Tribune just posted a piece linking the development of human facial expressions to "environmental stimuli." You can find the article at

http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/1422092-human-facial-expressions-originated-adaptive-reactions-environmental-stimuli

Citing Adam Anderson, a Cornell human ecology professor, the article states:

The current theory supports the Charles Darwin's 19th century theories on the evolution of emotion. "These opposing functions of eye widening and narrowing, which mirror that of pupil dilation and constriction, might be the primitive origins for the expressive capacity of the face," said Anderson.

The question of Darwinian evolution accounting for the development of emotion and even facial expression as a conveyor of emotion is a red herring.

The real question should be whether or not Darwin's system can explain the development of the cellular machines that control and regulate the tissues of the face and the muscles necessary for said expressions. 

Furthermore, can Darwin account for the genetic coding of the systems related to facial expressions, or any genetic information whatsoever?

The obvious answer is no.

Darwinian evolution quite nicely explains variations within an already existing species, but it is powerless in accounting for the origins of any micro or macro biological system.

By focusing on superficially plausible though unobserved macro-scenarios, Darwin's Disciples distract attention from their Achilles' heel: the highly observed, intricate cellular machines that bear all the earmarks of precision design.