Blackwell Reference Online

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The editor wishes to thank professors Deborah and Loren Haarsma for providing definitions for most of the terms listed. adaptive-in evolutionary biology an adaptive feature of behavior is one which increases the organism's chances of survival or reproduction. agnosticism the view that one does not or cannot know whether there is a God or not. altruistic act a behavior in an animal or human which decreases their own chances of survival or reproduction, but which benefits other animals/individuals. For example, animals which give alarm calls when they see a predator approach presumably attract the attention of the predator themselves, but at the same time they alert other animals who are endangered. Ancient Near East cosmology a pre-scientific view of the physical structure of the earth which was commonly held by people who lived in the region of Mesopotamia and Egypt 3,000–4,000 years ago. On this view, the Earth is flat and rests on “the waters below the Earth.” Above the earth is a solid dome, the “firmament,” which holds back the “waters above the Earth.” atheism the firm belief that God does not exist, and some contend that one can have evidence justifying this claim, for example, the existence of evil, it is argued, clearly counts as a defeater for the belief that He does. bacteria flagellum a tiny whip-like structure, composed of several different proteins, which is found ... log in or subscribe to read full text