stars2heaven Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) First, a little evolutionary biology. Natural selection is the driving force behind evolution. When a trait or group of traits is advantageous to a species it is selected for as those traits contribute to the overall reproductive success of the individuals who possess them. Traits which are a detriment to a species are usually selected against, and such traits disappear quickly as members fail to pass these traits to their offspring, or their offspring fail to reproduce themselves. But what happens to traits that no longer have any effect on a species ability to successfully reproduce? They degrade. The second driving force behind evolution is genetic mutation. It is because of many mutations that accumulate over time that cause this degradation. Because the trait is no longer an advantage to the species its strengths are not selected for through natural selection. That means that any mutations that degrade those traits are not eliminated because they do not affect the individuals reproductive success. Examples of this can be seen throughout nature, from now-useless organs in our own bodies to cave-fish with eyes that no longer function. Now on to the dumbing of the human race: Despite our continuing advances in science and technology, these advances are being made as a result of a brain whose latent abilities were evolved long ago, not as a result of a brain that is continuing to grow smarter. Our ancestors needed every bit of brain power they could muster in order to survive in the harsh conditions that they lived in. But whatever conditions they had to contend with to survive are no longer an issue for anyone alive today. The brains they developed have allowed us to create technology that has made us wildly successful in terms of reproduction. Though the raw mental power that we possess continues to serve us well, it is no longer something that factors in to our survival like it did a million years ago. Reproductive success in todays world is no longer heavily influenced by a persons innate mental abilities. Because of this, I think that the human brain is to us what the eyes of the cave-fish are to them. We are at the height of human intellect. As mutations that hinder the brains processing ability accumulate and as mutations that improved those abilities disappear, barring any use of genetic engineering or a renewed need for our powerful brains, our mental abilities should begin to decline over the next million years until the balance between what we need to survive and what we dont is restored. Edited March 21, 2011 by stars2heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3rman123 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 And how do you propose we fix this? Eugenics? I seem to recall what happened the last time someone got this idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RZ1029 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I'll start assembling the firing squads, you get everyone together... Yeah, even if it is true, short of committing atrocious crimes against humanity in the form of mass-murder in the name of a perfect race, there's no fixing it. Aaaaaand guessing by the fact that the last issue had to be resolved in the form of a all-consuming war that resulted in about 60 million deaths, all told. Starving civilians, fighting soldiers, murdered civilians (both in part of Russia and Germany and Japan), not to mention gross atrocities in the form of human experimentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboUK Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 In this country we're actually going backwards. Hard working people are taxed so much they can barely afford children while the unemployable failures are actually paid by the state to breed. They've taken Darwin and turned it on its head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3rman123 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I don't think you'll find many supporters of purging here. At least I hope. Maybe. The problem will be fixed once it's obvious it's a problem. Right now it's too subtle for anyone to actually be willing to commit genocide for a very hard to see reward. An inept government can be improved, but fixing an inept populace makes you a war criminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bben46 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 our mental abilities should begin to decline over the next million years Based on the current crop of politicians, it might not take that long, :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stars2heaven Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Well I wasn't suggesting that anything be done at all to curb what I think will be happening to our brains. If you think it is a problem, however, then there are alternatives to selective breeding. Genetic engineering could reverse the process. If you think that is unethical then you have to accept it just is what it is and that nature will take its course on its own. On that note, I don't see anything wrong with genetic engeneering depending on how it's used. I see nothing wrong with using it as a means to eliminate harmful genetic disorders that cause pain, suffering, or other maladies a person must endure. I don't see any reason to use it to boost our natural immune systems. I don't think that there is anything wrong with using it to improve any biological advantages we may have such as physical or mental abilities. Used in this way it could never be used as a means to commit genocide. Edited March 21, 2011 by stars2heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboUK Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 our mental abilities should begin to decline over the next million years Based on the current crop of politicians, it might not take that long, :rolleyes: Ain't that the truth, I'm not one for conspiracy theories but I do wander how people so obviously devoid of intelligence end up running nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marharth Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 our mental abilities should begin to decline over the next million years Based on the current crop of politicians, it might not take that long, :rolleyes: Ain't that the truth, I'm not one for conspiracy theories but I do wander how people so obviously devoid of intelligence end up running nations.I don't think they are devoid of intelligence. Maybe they are. It is pretty easy to get elected into office if you have money, run a bunch of ads against the other person. Politics has to do with tricking people into voting for you, some people with money just might be bad liars and appear to be stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilneko Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I completely disagree that our need for brain power has truly decreased. If anything, we need it now more than ever. The fact that chimps survive better in the jungle than we do, or that people do dumb things, is not evidence of either a reduction in overall brain power or the need for it. Considering that even today, after centuries of having plentiful food, our bodies still act as if it were scarce, I don't think any significant biological change is forthcoming. We have only partially defeated Natural Selection. Those people with brain disorders that you worry about? While in pre-history they may have died early, in modern times they live but often do not reproduce. Selective breeding based on intellect is fairly pointless anyway. The child of two geniuses is not guaranteed to be a genius, nor is the child of two idiots guaranteed to be an idiot. Education and upbringing are far greater factors in determining how smart a child will be. Even Einstein asked questions in math class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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