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It's a single creation and flood story from a single Middle Eastern culture Just because it spread across half the world by the later military and commercial s

It's a single creation and flood story from a single Middle Eastern culture Just because it spread across half the world by the later military and commercial success of its practicioners doesnt mean the "distant history" aspect of its mythology has any more basis in reality than gods manipulating lightning, the divinity of cats or tree nymphs (or indeed the same religious tradition's emphasis on creation as a six day process). Especially since a couple birthing children and a flood are near-universally experienced concepts that don't really have that much in common with tribal migrations and non-flood near-extinction events many millenia earlier.

psychoslave 3y ago
Sure but I think that what was pointed by the parent post is that many people are very acquainted with the concept of human population going through a bottleneck. Just because you learnt it in a fairy tale doesn’t mean you didn’t understand a concept.
bryanrasmussen 3y ago
this reaction here reminds me of a party in Denmark where I made a comment about the concept of a genetic eve having been found and one party goer got very indignant and explained how humans came from Africa, in short I don't think the person you're replying to said anything about the flood myth being true, they just said that the concept of a genetic bottleneck is actually pretty widespread throughout the world and many people would be familiar with the idea even if not actually believing in the story that gave them that idea.
- notahacker 3y ago
  I'm not that boring at parties! I can't divine exactly what the OP meant, but it's a pretty common argument amongst nonbelievers that ancient religious myths (especially the Flood, also present in a handful of non-abrahamic traditions) were somehow inspired by even older oral traditions of stuff that actually happened in their dim and distant past (as opposed to the flooding they experience on a regular basis). It appears I'm not the only person that perceived that was being implied. Regardless, I don't think "genetic bottlenecks scientists believe exist in the human evolutionary tree" and "religious stories that may or may not be interpreted literally" has much conceptual overlap, either in terms of modern people's awareness of modern bottleneck theories or in terms of links between prehistoric events and mythology which became popular much later.
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    I think they overlap. The assumption the stories are based on older events doesn’t have to be correct, it still makes for a familiarity with the idea. I wouldn’t mind chatting with you about this at a party. :)
mistrial9 3y ago
hundreds of thousands of people have passed this information across generations, and you an individual can say "it means the same as complete fiction" .. It is hubris on your part in some real way.

psychoslave 3y ago

Sure but I think that what was pointed by the parent post is that many people are very acquainted with the concept of human population going through a bottleneck. Just because you learnt it in a fairy tale doesn’t mean you didn’t understand a concept.

bryanrasmussen 3y ago

this reaction here reminds me of a party in Denmark where I made a comment about the concept of a genetic eve having been found and one party goer got very indignant and explained how humans came from Africa, in short I don't think the person you're replying to said anything about the flood myth being true, they just said that the concept of a genetic bottleneck is actually pretty widespread throughout the world and many people would be familiar with the idea even if not actually believing in the story that gave them that idea.

notahacker 3y ago
I'm not that boring at parties! I can't divine exactly what the OP meant, but it's a pretty common argument amongst nonbelievers that ancient religious myths (especially the Flood, also present in a handful of non-abrahamic traditions) were somehow inspired by even older oral traditions of stuff that actually happened in their dim and distant past (as opposed to the flooding they experience on a regular basis). It appears I'm not the only person that perceived that was being implied. Regardless, I don't think "genetic bottlenecks scientists believe exist in the human evolutionary tree" and "religious stories that may or may not be interpreted literally" has much conceptual overlap, either in terms of modern people's awareness of modern bottleneck theories or in terms of links between prehistoric events and mythology which became popular much later.
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  I think they overlap. The assumption the stories are based on older events doesn’t have to be correct, it still makes for a familiarity with the idea. I wouldn’t mind chatting with you about this at a party. :)

mistrial9 3y ago

hundreds of thousands of people have passed this information across generations, and you an individual can say "it means the same as complete fiction" .. It is hubris on your part in some real way.