3 ms·
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 indi
by 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 agoI'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 agoI 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. :)