One of the more exciting aspects of understanding philosophy is when we begin to see science grasping and applying concepts that we have understood for years. The issue of adaptation is one of these concepts and a very important one. When science understands the true concept of adaptability as we do, that it is a sign of life and it bespeaks an innate intelligence, they will begin to realize the importance of innate intelligence. Once that occurs, it is a small step to recognize the importance of its fullest expression and an even smaller step to conclude the importance of correcting vertebral subluxation which interferes with that innate intelligence expression.
There is a downside to this “coming together.” It may be necessary for us to change some of our terminology to be on the same page with the scientists. That may not be an altogether bad thing, for it may help us to tighten up our vocabulary and make our philosophy more clear. One such word is adaptability. Stephenson says that “Adaptability is the intellectual ability an organism possesses of responding to all forces which come to it whether Innate or Universal.” One gets the impression from Stephenson (although perhaps incorrectly) that adaptation is an ongoing process that an individual organism goes through to deal with the forces of the universe. For example, perspiring as a result of the heat, or shivering as a result of the cold. However, science does not view that as adaptation. They consider that a process of acclimation. Vogt says that “acclimation is essentially a physiological adjustment that maintains a level of comfort or mitigates a level of discomfort.” Perspiring and shivering are not pleasant activities under most circumstances but they do “mitigate a level of discomfort.” Failure to perspire or shiver can have more disastrous results. Another aspect of acclimation, in addition to physiological adjustment, is what science calls accommodation. An example would be the increase in production of red blood cells to acclimate to a low oxygen level when living at higher altitudes.
The interesting part is that to science, adaptation is synonymous with evolution. I thought, and have actually written, that the difference between adaptation and evolution is that adaptation is intelligently driven while evolution is random chance change that ends up being a positive survival value. In a recent conversation with Dr. Ralph Boone, I learned that scientists view random chance changes as neo-Darwinism. Interestingly, most scientists reject neo-Darwinism. They believe in adaptation, a principle of intelligence, exactly what we believe. It seems that most scientists are not neo-Darwinistic, just the outspoken ones, those that get all the press, write the books, go on television and generally make a lot of noise. The average scientist however, does not reject intelligent adaptation. I would guess that since scientists are really normal people that the same percentage of scientists accept the concept as do lay people, which surveys say is about 85%. What’s more, the figure is probably the same for chiropractors. Unfortunately, like the neo-Darwinist, the intelligence-hating chiropractors make the most noise.
Acclimation is what we call adaptation occurring on an individual basis. Adaptation, according to the scientists, is change that occurs species-wise. While an individual shivering in the cold is acclimation, some might shiver while others do not. Adaptation occurs throughout the species like growing a thick coat on the polar bear to withstand the cold. All polar bears have a thick coat. Sweating is acclimation. Being a nocturnal creature to avoid the heat is adaptation. In nature, both acclimation and adaptation are species-specific. The ability to evolve or change as a species may be called adaptability and the ability to change physiologically as an organism may be called acclimation, but the important point is that both are based upon a vitalistic phenomena, something that is separate and distinct from the matter that is being acted upon. Chiropractic has always recognized this idea, in fact was founded in part on this concept. Science is now acknowledging it or at least, is no longer denying it.
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