In keeping with the roots of this post (teleology/evolution): Life is fundamentally opportunistic. That's my meme, and I'm sticking to it. No ecological niche will remain empty as long as it has an available source of reduceable energy and will accept a reduced form of energy. No matter how apparently hostile a niche may appear, it is not a matter of whether or not it will be occupied, but how long it will take to become occupied. Once occupied, said niche will remain occupied by the same organism, until the environmental conditions of the niche change, or another organism displaces the first by occupying that niche more efficiently. The polar bear either was white and that turned out to be an advantage, or came in a profusion of colors of which white turned out to be the most successful. In either case, there was a niche, and the polar bear filled it. Ipso facto, 'life is fundamentally opportunistic' is a teleologically satisfactory observation that precedes a theory of evolution. It is also my considered opinion that if polar bears were black, they would absorb so much solar heat during the continuous arctic summer daylight that they would cook where they sat.

With ALL this talk about the infinite reading list, perhaps you could dedicate a space on your site to an extended bibliography, those read and those awaiting reading. Reading Popper was a turning point in my philisophical development, although it was more a matter of being thrilled to find the chaotic elements of my own world view properly organized, rather than arriving at a new perspective. I would also recommend Conjectures and Refutations to those having less in the way of a philosophy background (I myself am an engineer), rather than LSD (dont you love that abbreviation for a philosophy book), which is more methodologically rigorous. C&R provides a lot of context wrt other philosophers and schools of thought, which is most valuable for a person like myself, self taught (self directed) in philosophy. I have been bogged down for several years in Penrose's Road to Reality, but have taken time out periodically to digest other material. One item that stands out is Arthur Herman's 'How the Scots Invented the Modern World', which is a quick easy read on the origins of the Scottish enlightenment and it's impact on contemporary western (particularly American) culture. Thanks for this very iteresting blog!