Natural selection in humans?

tornado

tornado

New member
Do you guys think that natural selection/survival of the fittest still applies to humans? And how?
 
Odo

Odo

Banned
No.

People place a lot of value on human life, often to the detriment of other species. People don't die as easily as they would if there weren't all kinds of safety nets and such. We're in the process of removing ourselves from the natural world, so there are different signifiers of desirability, which could mean disaster if it all comes tumbling down... but for the time being we're pretty set on providing for and accommodating as many people as possible, except for certain conservative-minded people who would rather see poor people killing each other over a loaf of bread than give them a single dime of 'their' money.

I remember reading an article about how even though social isolation is no longer the killer it would be if we were in nature, we still have instincts that lead it to produce the anxiety we would be feeling if we were alone in a jungle full of predators. The strength in numbers thing applies because in a lawless 'natural' situation there would be nothing stopping the tribe from killing the outcast... so in some ways, we're still 'programmed' to behave according to survival of the fittest, and a large number of people are unwilling to be critical of these impulses and consider them to be the largest part of who they are.
 
NathanielWingatePeaslee

NathanielWingatePeaslee

Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
Staff member
Yes.

Study after study has been showing that our evolution continues in spite of medical advances and all that. Numerous studies show that our evolution has been, in fact, accelerating.

Ongoing human evolution could explain recent rise in certain disorders -- ScienceDaily

Ongoing evolution | EvoAnth

Human evolution, radically reappraised

Here's a quote from another article:

Denis Réale said:
Montreal – A recent symposium on evolution in Montreal posed to high-school students and university professors the following question: “Do you think that humans are still evolving?” Approximately 80% of the audience answered “no.” Indeed, there is an almost universal belief that, with multifaceted cultures and intricate technology, humans have freed themselves from the pressures of natural selection.

Recent findings, however, show otherwise. Far from providing immunity against evolutionary pressures, culture often creates new ones. For example, the genes associated with digestion of lactose are more prevalent in populations that have traditionally bred cattle and consumed milk.

Read more at Denis Réale on Human Change We Can Believe In - Project Syndicate
Click to expand...

The rest of the article is here: Denis Réale on Human Change We Can Believe In - Project Syndicate
 
lucifersam

lucifersam

1
If you define "natural selection" as the process by which evolution of the species manifests, then natural selection is still happening. If you define it as something else... that depends on your definition. Doubtlessly, some of the forces that previously guided human evolution (like fitness for hunting/farming) are less emphasized in the natural selection process today.
 
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skins

skins

1
Of course it does! I probably wont have a child due to having SA. The chances of a partner wanting to have my babies is significantly less then others, that is natural selection...it only wont get fully selected out for hundreds maybe thousands of years as there is still enough people out there with SA having chilren...a smaller percentage but a percentage none the less
 
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