Humans can't evolve.

[ItaniKnight]

We're not animals; we work above the "survival of the fittest" and change it to "survival of as many as possible plzthx". Of course this means a lot of complete retards make it through, but I for one would much rather have the eejits who sue McDonalds on a daily basis than have some kind of perfect humanity.

If you wanted to, you could argue that humans are already fully evolved; after all, we adapt to basically any situation with relative ease, and we're intelligent enough to survive pretty harsh conditions - we just *don't*, because our cities and houses protect us from any need to.

[Note: not trying to flame here, sorry if it comes across as one.]

 

[Erana]

Aren't Pedigree dogs generally drooling morons who look nice but aren't really useful for much else (they're 'fey' for lack of a better term) whereas mongrels are tough, hardy and can take punishment? Forgive me if I'm wrong, my expertise on dog breeding isn't that incredible, but I was under the impression that generally pedigree dogs are there for show whereas mongrel dogs are more useful for actual tasks that matter.

Worse than that. Purebreed pedigree dogs almost always have serious health problems, arthritis especially is common in lots of breeds, but many are susceptible to other things like cancer as well.

This is always the problem with a restricted breeding pool. You might get one or two desired traits, but you can't eliminate the unpleasant things that come with them.

Well-bred dogs are not always so. My dog is a pure white miniature schnauzer. These dogs had a few encounters with some other breeds, which gives them a bit more resilience. And a softer coat than most terriers.

Of course, the AKC won't acknowledge the White miniature schnauzer... *sigh*

 

[the captain]

If I learned anything from Stargate, we are going to continue evolving until we turn all glowy and ascend, thus shedding our physical form and existing as pure energy on a "higher plane" of existence. This new state of being grants us god-like powers and there are very clearcut rules on how to do it.

Ascension can happen in one of two ways: evolutionarily or spiritually. Ascension can occur when a human evolves the ability to use approximately 90% of their brain capacity. Spiritual Ascension can occur through meditation when one is pure of spirit and in the search for enlightenment, has a fully opened mind, and has shed one's fears and attachment to the mortal world.

So we all really need to start working hard.

 

[improbable]

Well, humanity's evolution has stopped being a means of adapting better to its environment, but adapting more and better ways to adapt the environment to its desires. So as long as science is being done, humans are evolving.

 

[ItaniKnight]

If I learned anything from Stargate, we are going to continue evolving until we turn all glowy and ascend, thus shedding our physical form and existing as pure energy on a "higher plane" of existence. This new state of being grants us god-like powers and there are very clearcut rules on how to do it.

Ascension can happen in one of two ways: evolutionarily or spiritually. Ascension can occur when a human evolves the ability to use approximately 90% of their brain capacity. Spiritual Ascension can occur through meditation when one is pure of spirit and in the search for enlightenment, has a fully opened mind, and has shed one's fears and attachment to the mortal world.

So we all really need to start working hard.

Disregard everything I just said, this is far more intelligent and much, much cooler.

 

[Naeberius]

maybe when we are hyper advanced energy beings we can figure out what the hell "furlings" were

 

[Metonym]

"Race of better people" That is not even a decent argument. The niche that a species occupies has nothing to do with good or bad and can´t be judged on ephemeral human values or moral standards. Strong and smarter or being faster is certainly not the base line recipe for success when it comes to every organism and ecosystem and humans adhere to a vast multitude of traits/rudiments that could facilate survival and reproduction.

Seen from within it´s pure adaption to the system under an extreme period of time. The end result itself being very hard to predict, variables being to many and "all".

OP seem to be talking about "social" darwinism in much they same way as the fairytales about hitlers conception of the world and presumed rationale.

We are certainly adapting as we speak, but just for comparison we are still endowed with "pretty much" the same basic boundaries within our psyche as the first hominoids/humans especially in regards to the psychological dispostion of the primitive man with the adaption of the neo cortex.

But as someone said we are probably going to be extinct by our own doing before we can perceive any substantial evolution within ourselves, since we are currently destroying the systems which we live in and on top of that we are capable of self extinction by political and military actions and the unforeseeable concept of stocastic relations which certainly has a major place in evolution.


edit:sp

 

[P1p3s]

They also have a tendency to have less kids than uneducated hicks, for whatever reason.

Forthought - planning, assesing the viability of bringing another life into the world, considering finance, politics, will my kid have any decent games to play in 10 years time...these are all important questions, ones that educated or at least self aware people may well ask, the 'hicks' as you call them (affectionately known as Chav's in the UK) don't think beyond 'the plunger goes in the hole, feels nice, sleep' that may be grossly unfair and I am calling an entire section of our population neaderthals but thats my point - I think we're DEVOLVIING because of the available genetic soup

has anyone seen that film about all this - it came out about 4 years ago, with Luke Wilson in it - he's Mr Joe Average and gets frozen in a time capsule experiment (there's also a hooker) and they wake up in the future and everyone is just plain retarded. It wasn't a great film, but I thought it was funny and very philosophically poignient

 

[Eagle Est1986]

Godwinned in 12 posts. G'night folks.

Huh, I didn't know what that meant, so I went ahead and looked it up. According to Godwin's Law, I've just lost. Guess I'll have to be more careful in the future. But hey, at least I've learnt something.

 

[Iron Mal]

There are numerous aspects of the Human anatomy and genes that in our modern fabricated society are more or less useless (the tail bone, bi-polar disorder, SAD, the appendix etc.), you would think that we would have lost these by now but they have been reduced to the point that they are benign (our tail bone doesn't help us significantly but it doesn't get in our way either) so they aren't selected against (we only use roughly 10% of our brains but we still posess the 90% that we don't use, it doesn't harm our chances of survival).

Human evolution has more or less come to an end since we face any challange our environment gives us by building around the location and by using technology, adaptation in the traditional sense is no longer nessercary for us.

The idea behind breeding a 'master race' would work in theory but a) it would take thousands of years (evolution is a slow process) and b) it is highly unethical to create a 'superior' sub-species of mankind (does that mean that we, the normal folk, have been replaced?).

 

[Whiskyjakk]

From a personal view would it matter if the human race did stop evolving (for some reason) anyway? I'd far rather have the beneficial effects of a welfare state and an egalitarian society now than a 'stronger, faster, smarter' race generations down the line when I won't be around to see it.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Humanity is evolving. The average height two hundred years ago was a lot smaller then the standard height today.

Survival of the Fittest is gone (for now...) but that doesn't mean we are not changing as a species.

What about the average height four or five THOUSAND years ago? What about all the stories about giants, and the giant-sized stuff that archiologists (sp) keep digging up? What about documentation in ancient texts about giants?

I'm not saying you're 100% wrong, or that's there's no way you could be right, but I think you're making one big blanket statement. Qualify that sucker.

 

[Fire Daemon]

Humanity is evolving. The average height two hundred years ago was a lot smaller then the standard height today.

Survival of the Fittest is gone (for now...) but that doesn't mean we are not changing as a species.

What about the average height four or five THOUSAND years ago? What about all the stories about giants, and the giant-sized stuff that archiologists (sp) keep digging up? What about documentation in ancient texts about giants?

I'm not saying you're 100% wrong, or that's there's no way you could be right, but I think you're making one big blanket statement. Qualify that sucker.

Certainly good sir. The buildings built by the Australian colonists around 1788 (especially Captain Cooks house) require an average height person to bend their head as they enter the house. The height of the roof is much lower than the height of modern homes. According to the guide all houses built during this time where this height. Maybe not the best example of height change over time but better then giant-sized stuff archaeologists have found... I've never heard of giant sized stuff.

Besides, as Alex_P has said its probably due to changes in diet and increases in nutrition.

 

[Xvito]

I can evolve... I'm a Pokémon.

 

[LOOY]

We already know that this will work because we have thousands of years of practice on dogs

Aren't Pedigree dogs generally drooling morons who look nice but aren't really useful for much else (they're 'fey' for lack of a better term) whereas mongrels are tough, hardy and can take punishment? Forgive me if I'm wrong, my expertise on dog breeding isn't that incredible, but I was under the impression that generally pedigree dogs are there for show whereas mongrel dogs are more useful for actual tasks that matter.

As for humanity evolving...do we need to? I fully endorse any sort of evolution which will give me a planet which has catgirl humanoids running around, be it via freak accident or forced genetic manipulation (however one would do that, again, not an expert). Besides my slightly creepy fetish however, what cause do we have to evolve? Yeah we could be stronger, faster, smarter etc. but what's the point? Why bother?

Pedigrees are inbreds, your right, mongrols are much better.

 

[D0WNT0WN]

Honestly that sounds something like Hitler would say.

 

[Labyrinth]

Honestly that sounds something like Hitler would say.

Nah. He'd be talking about how the Escapist is a Jewish construct to enslave the minds of pure Germans.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Humanity is evolving. The average height two hundred years ago was a lot smaller then the standard height today.

Survival of the Fittest is gone (for now...) but that doesn't mean we are not changing as a species.

What about the average height four or five THOUSAND years ago? What about all the stories about giants, and the giant-sized stuff that archiologists (sp) keep digging up? What about documentation in ancient texts about giants?

I'm not saying you're 100% wrong, or that's there's no way you could be right, but I think you're making one big blanket statement. Qualify that sucker.

Those giants and the bones that are being dug up belong to large animals, not ancient humans:

http://www.amazon.com/First-Fossil-Hunters-Paleontology-Times/dp/0691058636

I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that people were finding artifacts that looked as though they were designed for much larger men than present-day people.

 

[Zersy]

Since the current escapist fad is on gender and species I think this is fitting.

Humans can' evolve, we have too many people with too many random genes able to breed. Even when inferior humans would die off, medical science saves them so they can breed and spread their stupid throughout humanity.

The only way Humanity will evolve to be stronger, faster, smarter etc is to force the World's best and brightest to breed in an enclosed environment for several generations until we have a race of better people that can spread their favourable genes through out the gene pool. We already know that this will work because we have thousands of years of practice on dogs so all we need is public approval which won't happen, why won't the public approval?

The public won't approve because ethics and morals are geting in the way of progress; progress which could be easily made if we stop letting people breed with who ever they want rather than who is best for humanity.

I post this knowing full well that I will be flamed/banned but just know that when you whine your loss of faith in humanity, it is because you don't support forced breeding.

there's no point since we are all ready a supeiror breed only thing that makes us dumb or inferior is us not acting like a species

Bottom Line

we stopped evolving about a few 100 years ago we have come to our Peak in evoltion so even if we do let smart people hump other smart people you only get a people.

unless there's a nuclear holocaust where we have to start evolving again

 

[Infinitebat]

Humans are evolving just not in the way you might think. Evolution is not the continual progression of a species to be better, stronger faster etc but rather to better suit their current environment. The humans current environment has very few selection pressures and as such many new genes and mutations that would normally not survive if expressed to reproduce now can. This means the human gene pool is slowly increasing and in this way better preparing the species for any future selection pressures that could occur and thus is evolving.

If breeding was restricted to only the best and brightest many people with mutations that render them weaker would be excluded and as illogical as it sounds the human race would be weaker because of it. The perfect example of this is the mutation that causes sickle cell anemia. This causes the person to have difficulty getting enough oxygen into their blood making them unable to perform strenuous exercise as well as numerous other disadvantages. This mutation however also offers the advantage that the person with it is highly resistant to malaria and can easily survive with this disease that kills most people who contract it. In a similar way human survival may depend upon many of the 'weaker' genes you would seek to remove