Why do some men appear to be so strong?

[seriously disabled]

Err - citation please.

 

The genotype - phenotype link is one of the most well supported causative links in science.

 

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIA1Genotypevsphenotype.shtml

 

But in school they taught me that genetics is only 50% of who we are.

 

Look at Arnold Swartzeneger for example. He won first place in competitions with bodybuilders who would destroy him genetically like Sergio Oliva. Still it was his mind and thinking outside the box that let him win. Its more about working on yourself and reaching your potencial than just genetics.

 

Its also about realising what you have and using it smart.

 

Look at the movie "Gattaca" for example. It says it all.

Edited April 25, 2013 by seriously disabled

[Arete]

But in school they taught me that genetics is only 50% of who we are.

 

Look at Arnold Swartzeneger for example. He won first place in competitions with bodybuilders who would destroy him genetically like Sergio Oliva. Still it was his mind and thinking outside the box that let him win. Its more about working on yourself and reaching your potencial than just genetics.

 

Its also about realising what you have and using it smart.

 

Look at the movie "Gattaca" for example. It says it all.

 

Anecdotes and fiction ≠ evidence.

 

Do you have anything other than "my teacher said so" to support your 50% value?

 

Many things about you are entirely determined by genetics - e.g. if a person has down syndrome they suffer from trisomy 21. I.e. the reason they have down syndrome and most people don't is genetics.

 

Many traits are entirely determined by genetic factors, and almost all have a genetic component. A statement like "Genetics probably make less than 50% of who we are" is vague and seemingly unsupportable. I was curious if you had anything to actually back it up.

[seriously disabled]

It cannot only be genetics though.

 

If a person has superhuman abilities and by superhuman I mean like the Cyborgs you see in the Terminator franchise for example) like being strong, resilient, extremely energetic and doesn't need to eat and drink much to stay in top shape, then it cannot be just genetics which gives him these abilities.

 

Since it cannot be just genetics I think it must be something or someone else who gave him extraordinary abilities.

 

What I think is that maybe Satan or the Devil or some other very powerful being can interfere with the way our body works and give some people superhuman abilities.

Edited May 5, 2013 by seriously disabled

[John Cuthber]

"If a person has superhuman abilities and by superhuman I mean like the Cyborgs you see in the Terminator franchise for example) like being strong, resilient, extremely energetic and doesn't need to eat and drink much to stay in top shape, then it cannot be just genetics which gives him these abilities."

But no such person exists so it's pointless to speculate about them in this way.

 

"What I think is that maybe Satan or the Devil or some other very powerful being can interfere with the way our body works and give some people superhuman abilities."

Feel free to think what you like, but some of us prefer evidence, and you haven't provided anything close.

[seriously disabled]

"But no such person exists so it's pointless to speculate about them in this way."

 

Of course they exist. Just look at astronauts or pilots for example. Astronauts must be extremely resilient and healthy because they must deal with the harsh environment of space and they also don't get to eat and sleep much when they are on a space mission.

 

The same goes with airline pilots. Some airline pilots work extremely hard. Being an airline pilot is not an easy job either. That's because they need to have good concentration, good alertness and some good skills to deal with difficult situations which can occur in the flight.

 

If they even make one mistake, they risk the lives of anyone in the airplane (including their own of course), such as what happened to Air France Flight 447 which crushed in the Atlantic ocean, killing everyone onboard the aircraft.

 

The same goes with bus drivers. Some bus drivers are required to drive extremely long distances every day and they must be healthy and feel well if they must be able do it.

Edited May 8, 2013 by seriously disabled

[Ophiolite]

@seriously disabled

 

You said: If a person has superhuman abilities and by superhuman I mean like the Cyborgs you see in the Terminator franchise for example) like being strong, resilient, extremely energetic and doesn't need to eat and drink much to stay in top shape, then it cannot be just genetics which gives him these abilities

 

John replied: But no such person exists so it's pointless to speculate about them in this way

 

You replied: Of course they exist. Just look at astronauts or pilots for example. Astronauts must be extremely resilient and healthy because they must deal with the harsh environment of space and they also don't get to eat and sleep much when they are on a space mission.

 

Are you seriously suggesting that the astronauts possess superhuman abilities? That is what you have said. You also have said that bus drivers possess superhuman abilities. Nonsense. They possess very normal human abilities. They have good eyesight, coordination andd attentiveness - all very normal human attributes, arising out of their genetics and their environment.

 

Several times a year I find myself teaching an intesive class for nine hours a day, doing further work in the evening and averaging, if I am lucky four hours sleep a night, for two weeks. I can assure you I am not superhuman, but boringly normal.

 

Edited May 8, 2013 by Ophiolite

[Ringer]

Also, pilots and astronauts are fairly regularly prescribed to amphetamines:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1552-4604.1993.tb01946.x/abstract

http://library.thinkquest.org/C005038/amp.htm

[Arete]

It cannot only be genetics though.

 

If a person has superhuman abilities and by superhuman I mean like the Cyborgs you see in the Terminator franchise for example) like being strong, resilient, extremely energetic and doesn't need to eat and drink much to stay in top shape, then it cannot be just genetics which gives him these abilities.

 

Since it cannot be just genetics I think it must be something or someone else who gave him extraordinary abilities.

 

What I think is that maybe Satan or the Devil or some other very powerful being can interfere with the way our body works and give some people superhuman abilities.

 

To quote a response I already gave you -

 

Anecdotes and fiction ≠ evidence.

 

 

You can't cite the Terminator as evidence of your point, then claim "of course they exist" and cite bus drivers as an example. That's a logical fallacy known as "shifting the goalposts".

 

Why does driving a long time involve "superhuman" abilities which cannot be explained by genetics"? If astronauts are protected from the harsh enviroment of space by their superhuman abilities, why do they need spacesuits?

[John Cuthber]

"But no such person exists so it's pointless to speculate about them in this way."

 

Of course they exist. Just look at astronauts or pilots for example. Astronauts must be extremely resilient and healthy because they must deal with the harsh environment of space and they also don't get to eat and sleep much when they are on a space mission.

 

The same goes with airline pilots. Some airline pilots work extremely hard. Being an airline pilot is not an easy job either. That's because they need to have good concentration, good alertness and some good skills to deal with difficult situations which can occur in the flight.

 

If they even make one mistake, they risk the lives of anyone in the airplane (including their own of course), such as what happened to Air France Flight 447 which crushed in the Atlantic ocean, killing everyone onboard the aircraft.

 

The same goes with bus drivers. Some bus drivers are required to drive extremely long distances every day and they must be healthy and feel well if they must be able do it.

You must have a very poor opinion of what normal humans can do.

Most pilots are bored for most of the flight. The autopilot is flying the plane.

Since the autopilot was invented in 1912 it's difficult to justify any idea that its role is all that difficult.

[john5746]

Look at the movie "Gattaca" for example. It says it all.

Love that movie. It isn't an argument against genetics, maybe an argument that we can't know everything about genetics. Its showing two sides of the expectations coin. One who is "inferior" genetically, the other "superior". One is expected to be a loser, the other a winner. Neither want to live to expectations, they both find a way out.

 

So, you have determined that you are inferior to many others physically. Well, it is important to realize our limits, I mean not everyone can be an NBA star. But, you can dwell on your shortcomings or you can decide to do your best in whatever it is you decide to do. That was the point of the movie, IMO. He was inferior physically, genetics didn't lie. But also in his genetic makeup was the desire to fight the odds to not give up.

 

Look at twins and don't pick out one set, but consider twins as a whole. They are more genetically close than others and guess what, they tend to have the same build, desire, etc.

Edited May 9, 2013 by john5746

[seriously disabled]

Ophiolite has responded by saying:

 

"Are you seriously suggesting that the astronauts possess superhuman abilities? That is what you have said. You also have said that bus drivers possess superhuman abilities. Nonsense. They possess very normal human abilities. They have good eyesight, coordination andd attentiveness - all very normal human attributes, arising out of their genetics and their environment.

 

Several times a year I find myself teaching an intesive class for nine hours a day, doing further work in the evening and averaging, if I am lucky four hours sleep a night, for two weeks. I can assure you I am not superhuman, but boringly normal."

 

Maybe to me these people appear superhuman because they can do everyday things that I cannot do.

 

Everything is relative really. Bus drivers and pilots can do things that I cannot do such as driving and flying an airplane for many hours every day without any fear of injury and they appear to this everyday it without much trouble.

 

So relative to me these people appear superhuman because they do things every day that I cannot do. But relative to you these people appear normal because you are also probably a normal person like they are.

 

But then again I could be just a biochemical blob and therefore cannot be compared to normal people because I just don't work like normal people.

Edited May 14, 2013 by seriously disabled

[techhydra]

Physical strength is usually acquired throught conditioning, exercise and repetition of tasks which can usually be influenced by the amount of energy an individual may have. Willpower, physical and mental conditioning, hormones, bone structure, chromosomes and many other factors play into the health of a person and what may provide some people with more energy.

[Ophiolite]

So relative to me these people appear superhuman because they do things every day that I cannot do. But relative to you these people appear normal because you are also probably a normal person like they are.

 

So, is Stephen Hawking seriously disabled, or superhuman? Or is that a false dichotomy?

[seriously disabled]

My father eats very little every day yet he still finds the energy to drive to work every day and work 11 hours every day except on Friday and Saturday and on holidays of course. And he's been working that hard for already 40 years (ever since he was in the military).

 

Sometimes I don't know how he manages to do that because for me it just seems too damn hard.

 

Sometimes I think that my father could be a superhuman Cyborg or something.

Edited May 22, 2013 by seriously disabled