Since the invention of agriculture, mankind has stopped its biological evolution. We look pretty much like our ancestors and our descendants.
That's because our evolution has ceased to be biological and has become cultural.
Transmitting behaviors and ideas, mankind has invented a destiny that is no more biological. Mankind doesn't depend anymore on environment pressures and has increased its survival chances by transmitting behaviors (and not only genes).Behaviors like language, writing, beliefs, philosophies have rendered humans ever more independant from their environment.
A part of mankind has completely gotten rid of natural selection (Some deseases are transmitted because they are curable, and survivable, through culture ).
Genetic manipulation , cloning, medical treatments are all products of our culture, not natural selection.
Nowadays, mothers who couldn't have babies if there had not been any medical progress, do give birth to perfectly healthy and desired babies.
That's why gay marriages have no reason to be banned. They're also the product of our culture and if that's what gays want, our civilization recognizes the need to reduce sufferance as much as possible.
Same for issues like euthanasia. A Product of our culture, too.
I was operated on the upper and lower jaw in 2000 and was quite amazed and relieved not to feel too much pain (only at times when I would smile), thanks to a clever dose of medicine.
Raoul
re: Cultural evolution
The whole thread (67 posts)
- For Derek
- Weighing in on SDAI- Teckie1
- To which I humbly add:
- Morality
- Piss them off you did.
- See
- re: Cultural evolution
- Sad Depressed Angry Infantile (n/t)
- Whoa, easy steady there, Tony. (Heh, heh, that's what they usually tell me.)