Re: Genealogy of Scaly Reptiles Rewritten by New Research

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Mike Keesey (keesey@gmail.com) wrote:

<More like "after" as in "epilogue" ("afterword") or "Epimetheus"
("Afterthought", the less visionary brother of Prometheus ["Forethought"]).>

  Well, there is an "upon" sense in this, in the sense that Prometheus
proceeded the creation, and was the insigator, of the creation, of men, while
Epimetheus was the elaborator of them and creator of women, who came "after',
but were also an elaboration "upon", mankind. (In a sense, Epimetheus created
sex by developing an opposing image to men.)

  Thus the terms "pro" (often also "towards," "for" and "by") and "epi" have
causal meanings. In this case, "episquamates" are the elaborated forms leading
to the most elaborated, snakes. The terminology is included in canines with
*Epicyon*, the "arch dog" or "greatest/highest/best dog". Like the original
meaning of "evolution," the term is deliberately directional, though I am sure
the first "episquamate" wasn't really concerned with its status, while the
lamarckian sense of evolution and thus "epi" the animals were devised or
developed TOWARDS a known end state. Humans are the top of the golden ladder,
and thus all evolution proceeeds according to this perfection, or "evolves"
toward a human-like condition.

  Cheers,

Jaime A. Headden

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)


        
                
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