Another lecture in Evolution theory in the area of Oslo

Last Friday I had the honour to hear two experts in Evolution theory at the Litteraturhuset in Oslo. Professor Kevin Padian on:"Darwin's Enduring Legacy ... and some enduring myths." and Professor Jon Elster on:"Darwin's impact on the social sciences"
http://www.cees.uio.no/darwin/cees/20-november-2009.html

The first lecture was incredible for one like me that has not depth of the theory. His way of presenting the truth was amazing and as one of the key expert witnesses in the "Intelligent Design trial" Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District in USA in 2005, his speech was sharp, clear and many times humoristic. A truly delightful lecture.

The second lecture became kind of hard for me. I really had problems following his reasoning, which was I think a problem of using an advanced language. He pointed out artefacts somewhere but I really strangled to understand his statement. The session with the questions from the public confirmed that I was not the only one lost in the audience. Still is pretty sad that in the name of an Academic Status we miss the substance of the subject. When he was asked " ... but at the end what is the contribution of Evolution on the social sciences?" he answered " It is enormous, and we have to find it in the directions of emotions and behaviours". Which means that when it comes to product design, probably the right way for someone to go is what Paola Antonelli describes, in the film "Objectified" as the emotional connection of humans with objects.