Are Humans done evolving?

Just as different people interpret religious writings in different ways, people interpret Darwin in different ways.

Yes. Darwin wrote The Origin of Species exactly 150 years ago. Obviously, new discoveries and insights have come about since then, but his basic premise of natural selection has become firmly entrenched in biology in that time. It's as close to a sure thing as you can find in natural science.

What I find most peculiar is when people consider the phenomenon of natural selection to be a matter of personal belief, as though it were someone's personal opinion that determines the truth or falsehood of evolution. Now if you're asking "who was the greatest rock n' roll band of all time?" ... or "what's the prettiest color in the rainbow?" ... obviously, those are questions that are subject to personal opinions.

But the phenomenon of natural selection is not something that is affected by anyone's personal opinion. It either happens or it doesn't ... and all the species of the earth have either evolved or they haven't. What anyone personally believes has no bearing on it. You might as well say ... "I don't believe that Lincoln was shot in the head in a theatre."

Well, ok. But it doesn't matter what you or anyone else believes ... what matters is what actually happened.

It's the same with any historical phenomena, including evolution. It either happened or it didn't. What you or I believe makes no difference.

What is also interesting is how throughout history politicians or religous leaders have made complete fools of themselves by declaring their unbelief in various natural phenomena that were later proved to be true. In the 15th century, the Pope announced that he knew it was impossible to sail around the horn of South Africa, because he had been given special insight from God on the matter. It didn't occur to him that all you had to do was ... go look for yourself. Which of course someone soon did.

The point is that making belief or non-belief in the ways of the natural world to be conditions of religious or political faith is risky at best, and preposterously foolish at worst. Faith is a matter of the heart, like love and happiness. No one doubts that those things exist, just because they can't be proven scientifically. But natural phenomena like evolution are not matters of the heart. Nor are they matters of personal belief.

 

not sure if this has been said, but with this many post i'm not gonna try and find out but the answer is no and yes, we are, and have been beyond the influence of natural selection for at least 250,000 years. however we will without doubt alter ourselves, i see no way around it. it will begin with people wanting the perfect child, and when they grow up they will have even less and less reservatioins in 'fixing' there kids. then the govs will get involved, go after the criminal element and there goes art. in the end we will be left with nothing but curiousity, just feeding a machine

 

Well we haven't fully evolved, humans could be better than what we are now. Majority of us get back problems, it's because we haven't gotten use to being bipedal yet, there's a lot of room for improvement. But unless something like water world, or giant meteor hits earth, the need for natural selection amongst humans is void.

Either case, I don't think our race will survive long enough for the next phase to even take place.

 

I read in a science magazine that DNA evidence indicates that evolution is happening faster as the human species has gotten larger. Thus, there is more scope for beneficial mutations. It is more important than every before to have a high IQ. People with low IQ's are not likely to start dying in the street, but they will be less likely to have children as time goes on.

 

i don't see the reasoning in that...it doesn't take a very high IQ to have sex and make babies. you don't even need to understand how THAT works!

i kinda get what you mean, as that time goes on we need to be smarter in order to survive, but i don't think that is true.

nowadays, we have no biological need to be smart as individuals, because the smart people of the world have made it possible for very dumb people to live safely to reproductive age (puberty).
dumb people can still have kids.

 

Increasingly one needs a fairly high IQ in order to get a decent job. Computer technology is eliminating the better paying jobs that can be learned by someone with a low to moderate intelligence.

 

^^^true, but nothing to do with evolution. you don't need a job to have a kid. yes, you SHOULD have one, but most people have viable sperm or eggs, regardless of intelligence or career.

 

The statistics are out there. People with less education tend to have more kids than those with more education and higher IQs. That is evolution in reverse, in a way.

 

To address the original question, you have to keep the nature of evolution in mind. I know you said it was "reverse evolution, in a way ", but through out this discussion others keep expression a common misconception. Evolution does not go where we want it to or where we think it should. Animals leaving the sea and getting legs is evolution and animals returning to the sea and losing legs is evolution.
People are not destined to "improve" or "get better", They can only adapt or change. You can say evolution makes flora and fauna better adapted for their environment, but for awhile, you may get a duck billed platypus.

 

q

 

one beneficial way for humans to evolve is through inter racial babies. this gets rid of genetic diseases that certain groups are predisposed to. by procreating with someone of a different race, you'd be mixing your genes up more, and be more likely to over write recessive mutations.

think about dogs. all the pure breeds have characteristic health problems...so do "breeds" of humans.

 

It is my opinion that human intervention has already prevented evolution from continuing.

 

The more we depend on technology, the less we know how to survive without it. What happens when technology deceases? [Not part of the subject but just a reminder]

 

Agree. Have we forgotten about the black plague that killed half the population of the Europe just a few hundred years ago? Those with natural immunity survived. Millions could easily be wiped out again.

 

With all the crap going on with man and his power trips trying to control the world, throwing nature into chaos, and all the programmed people and their BS, I'd hate to think this is the best we can become...if so...we're doomed!!!

PS- Monkey Boy's evolution picture pretty much covers it so far...lol.

 

evolution never "ends". everything mutates. i know thats a simple answer, but i believe it

 

that is very true. but at this point humans could "improve" or "become worse" (there must be a better word - aha; decline, worsen...)

animals usually improve through evolution due to natural selection. but humans are no longer under as much natural selection. a lot of bad traits get passed on, although some good traits get passed on too, and a major event or cataclysmic parasite could influence humans "improve" through evolution. but with sick people living to be old (past reproductive age) and passing on their bad genes, human "decline" by evolution...
trust it
my hardcore rain leaves ya rusted
move ova lucifah
i'm more ruthless uh

 

Of course evolution will always go on and on... as for how, I suppose it depends on what we do. Some will move forwards into something better and some will "seem" to move backwards. Everything eventually adapts into their environment. Even after generations of a caged animal will evolve, but be different than the same animal that's wild and free.
An example would be the Orchid Mantis, it was green like the Praying Mantis we usually see, but it changed to its environment and is now white, to resemble the orchids it crawls on for a tasty critter.

 

1st part is wrong, and 2nd part is a little far fetched...

did you read any of the other posts?

 

From one pagan to another, you're saying then, that when we study a pagan concept to expand our mind(not with drugs) and discover new ways to use our mental abilities, and once it becomes 2nd nature, then we haven't evolved? We haven't adapted into our new environment and new way of doing something?
Then what exactly do you think evolution means? Please explain...