Comments on: TD01 – Think Darwin!

By: Frank Paton

Frank Paton — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:55:51 +0000

“Only those offers that are good enough at getting themselves copied–the fittest–survive”.
I find this statement interesting because both good ideas and bad ideas are copied in the business world. Obviously in business the time period is much shorter but if the same thing is repeated often enough, people will tend to believe it, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
For example, the lemming like behavior that underpinned the root cause of the GFC.
We are not around for a long time and the strongest may survive, but who picks up the pieces in the meantime.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:57:41 +0000

Darwin provided an alternative explanation for the origin of all species. His theory of evolution was explained by the survival of fitness … The same idea can explain much of what happens in the marketplace over time. Only those offers that are good enough at getting themselves copied–the fittest–survive.

Evolve … (oh no here comes one of those words) Innovate … Create … Survive … or Die!

Dave’s comment on Dec 11 is cool!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:31:39 +0000

“In science, the power of a theory is the number of things it explains divided by the number of things it assumes.”

This is a useful measurement tool which would have wide application in critical thinking.

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:12:41 +0000

“The same idea can explain much of what happens in the marketplace over time.”

An important component of Darwin’s proposal is randomness. He believed that gene mutations and recombinations are not directed, but random events that may or may not lead to an advantage, or disadvantage, either now or in the future. It is this continual testing of the environment and the generation of presently neutral diversity that leads to the capacity to buffer adversity, at least for the species if not the individual.

If one extends “marketplace” to include “workplace” then the idea of small changes, possibly not presently beneficial, but leading neutral diversity is an interesting one. Benefits may not be to the individual, of course, but to the industry or community, which requires a level altruism that I, for one, usually fail to achieve.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:25:12 +0000

“Before Darwin, in the Western culture, the only explanation for the origin of the diverse array of different species on earth was the JCI Monotheistic Theory of GOD”

This sentence indicates that Darwin was taking on the “conventional wisdom” of the time. It has been speculated that it may have been the fear of religious persecution, due to his contradiction of the “doctrine”, that led to Darwin taking so long to publish the book.

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:44:40 +0000

‘Before Darwin, in the Western culture, the only explanation for the origin of the diverse array of different species on earth was the JCI Monotheistic Theory of GOD.’

This sentence highlights a transformational moment when all that came before was turned on its head. Science at its most influential.

I also find it interesting that Australians are the only people to have a nickname for God – ’send it down, Hughie!’

By: Montip

Montip — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:41:10 +0000

Agree that the surviors are the fittest ones who could adapt to environments they are living in. It’s the understanding of situation and changing policies and approache in business to achieve goals. However, it would be hard to capture the changes without an open minds.

By: Graeme McLeod

Graeme McLeod — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:06:13 +0000

His theory showed how over evolutionary time–which is very, very, very, long in the millions of years–random mutations or variations in the copies of each generation allowed for the fittest copy to survive and pass its adaptation on to the next generation.

The same idea can explain much of what happens in the marketplace over time. Only those offers that are good enough at getting themselves copied–the fittest–survive.

I find this a superb parallel …thats why I copied two STATEMENTS…..
My observation of the marketplace , and indeed of prospective customer responses …is that this is likely to be true….it can be confirmed.

By: Bruce Hobbs

Bruce Hobbs — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:08:03 +0000

“His theory of evolution was explained by the survival of fitness. His theory showed how over evolutionary time–which is very, very, very, long in the millions of years–random mutations or variations in the copies of each generation allowed for the fittest copy to survive and pass its adaptation on to the next generation.”

Can be applied to business, survival of the fitness and the adaption over time

By: Shan Guneratne

Shan Guneratne — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:11:22 +0000

“In my personal opinion, Darwin’s publication of his book The Origin of Species ensures that he is easily the #1 Thinker of the Second Millennium.”

This OPENED another dimension on THINKING. Before that we were TOLD how to think!