“This theory posits that, rather than evolving or improving overtime, humanity is instead gradually declining in physical, intellectual, and spiritual capacities[…]”
Improving or declining are judgmental positions, not scientific. Seems to me more like religiots being convinced of a golden age in the past, and judging us by morality, not capacity.
“This theory spits in the face of evolution, which largely hypothesizes the exact opposite.”
No, it’s not even in spitting distance. Evolution says we change over time as conditions change. Not better or worse. Again, that’s judgment, which the creationists are all up in. Not much science, there.
“Or at least evolution used to do so until they realized they were clearly wrong in many circumstances.”
Evolution never said that. People who didn’t really understand Evolution may have said that.
“Now they’ve taken a more ambiguous route with calling much of it “random”[…]”
THere’s always been a random element, but not much of a ‘direction,’ especially from a ‘looking down your nose at society’ POV.
“The competing theory of continual degeneration”
It’s not in competition. At best it’s an alternate interpretation of what YOU guys think of as moral decay.
"has stayed the course.”
You mean it hasn’t changed or gotten better, or better supported, in all the time people have yabbered about it.
“This concept has been around a lot longer than evolution, and has been debated by the ancient historians, philosophers, biologists, anthropologists, and even enlightenment thinkers[…]”’
SO has racism. Not an automatic endorsement of the concept.
“If you actually take time to read the Bible, you’ll also notice continual degeneration as a trend throughout it.”
Life was better before man fucked it all up. Yeah, that’s in almost every religion. We used to live in paradise, then lost it.
"Just look at the length of life for a clear example. The oldest patriarchs lived 10 times the length that we live now[…]”
Are SAID to have lived outrageously. Evidence for it outside of the Babble…?
“The same degeneration belief is found in other religious thought. The Hindu’s four cycles gradually decline until utter abomination. Look up the four epochs or yugas[…]”
Every culture has a legend of vampires, too. Again, the human psyche echoes, that’s not a validation.
“I think all of these guys are right in their own way[…]”
I don’t. Every generation complains about how the world is going to Hell. ANd yet our life spans increase, our knowledge increases, our standard of living rises… Just some people feel like their morality is superior because they don’t fuck the same way “THOSE” people do.
“Hell, we even have random diseases, affecting us now that never used to exist.”
Um, that’s evolution. Not degeneration, you twit.
“Look at modern things like allergies,”
That’s not a modern thing, it just used to kill people off a lot sooner in life. Big part of infant mortality.
“autism,”
Growing from better recognition, not degeneration.
“obesity,”
Yes, yes, obesity was never a problem when people were barely getting enough to eat. Of course, fat kings have always been a tradition. Fat Admirals, and the development of ‘side boys.’ The higher the rank, the more men you needed to make sure he got off the boat safely.
"and other such degenerative conditions[…]”
More moral judgment.
“Each supposed “advancement” that humans can name is actually just a correction for a prior degeneration.”
So, if we ARE CORRECTING the degenerations, then we’re NOT DEGENERATING.
"With very few exceptions”
You’re light on history and big on a sense of superiority.