EVOLUTION - explain it to me?

[Antonio]

the people who live in the most developed countries are the most intelligent, the healthiest, and carry the best genes ........ yet they have far less kids than the people who live in the least developed countries

so basically the planet is getting populated by human beings who are inferior, how come? isn't the evolution all about the survival of the fittest?

[Porko]

evolution its about survival. thats all.

[ADL Colin]

the people who live in the most developed countries are the most intelligent, the healthiest, and carry the best genes ........ yet they have far less kids than the people who live in the least developed countries

so basically the planet is getting populated by human beings who are inferior, how come? isn't the evolution all about the survival of the fittest?

If you live in the UK the difference between having 2 or 4 children is the difference between living in a middle class neighborhood or living in a lower class neighborhood.

In Africa, the difference between having 2 or 4 children is, well, you still pretty much live in the same hut.

[BradM]

If you live in the UK the difference between having 2 or 4 children is the difference between living in a middle class neighborhood or living in a lower class neighborhood.

In Africa, the difference between having 2 or 4 children is, well, you still pretty much live in the same hut.

Yep.
People in civilized countries just want more monetary properties. Don't want to have 8 starving little babies just because. They want to raise a normal and solid family.

[he-fox]

the people who live in the most developed countries are the most intelligent, the healthiest, and carry the best genes

that's not true.

I hope you don't really believe that.

[Wizzo]

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie Idiocracy I think it explains it perfectly!

[ADL Colin]

Yep.
People in civilized countries just want more monetary properties. Don't want to have 8 starving little babies just because. They want to raise a normal and solid family.

If I remember correctly Gary becker won a Nobel prize for an explanation on this topic (or similar). I don't remember the details.

[CurrentlySober]

Easy. People in uncivilised third world countries have lots of children because...

1) They dont have access to, or understand the concept of contraception,
and
2) If they get really hungry they can allways eat their offspring...

[BradM]

If I remember correctly Gary becker won a Nobel prize for an explanation on this topic (or similar). I don't remember the details.

I'm going to read this. I am curious what he has to say.

Evolution in humans in the last few hundred years has not favored survival of the fittest. As advanced brained animals we have sympathy. You'll never see a turtle give up his shell for another turtle with 3 babies who are freezing in the rain. But you see it with humans. This gives the weak the ability to breed and teach their offspring how to act the same way. Although I have no proof that genetics plays into it, I am sure there is a pattern somewhere.

Anyway, this sort of thing fascinates me.

[GrouchyAdmin]

so basically the planet is getting populated by human beings who are inferior, how come? isn't the evolution all about the survival of the fittest?

Not anymore. Here, have an adage and an analogy:

When I grew up, there were metal slides. You crawled up to the top and slid down. If the sun was beating on it, you burned your ass. Then, you never did that again.

We're saving the lamest and weakest, and that's taking all of the time we used to have for procreation.

[D Ghost]

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie Idiocracy I think it explains it perfectly!

Haha thats a great movie!

[Bama]

Poor people have no toys so they fuck for entertainment.

[mikesouth]

the theory you are looking for is eugenics or "de-evolution"

It has some basis in fact for sure, but it fails to take into account a lot of factors that would seem pertinent, like life expectancy and mortality rate.

[dav3]

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie Idiocracy I think it explains it perfectly!

For such a terrible movie, the message in it is strong.

Here's a link to the intro to that movie, which is enough to explain your question.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=upyewL0oaWA

[kane]

In many of these third world cultures they have a different system for determining wealth. We see people with a lot of money, big houses and nice cars a rich. In many of these third world places having a lot of kids means you are strong and virile and that makes you rich in the eyes of the other people in that culture.

Also as stated before many of these people have no access to birth control or they have been taught by missionaries that birth control is evil. No matter how poor they are they still want to fuck, so they end up having a lot of kids.

Many of these cultures also see their families as their social security system. Here when I get old even if I never saved a dime of my own I will get social security and Medicare and if I get sick or hurt in my old age there will be someone to help care for me and pay the bills. That is not so with many other cultures so they have a lot of kids who will take care of them when they get old.

[pimpware]

the people who live in the most developed countries are the most intelligent, the healthiest, and carry the best genes

That's a pretty fucked up way of thinking


Developed counties give people better chances, education, healthcare and oportunities of life.

On the other side, third world countries people don't have oportunities at all, they don't give a fuck for a car, a condo, a Ikea furniture because they are starving on a dead end because most of teh times they can't do shit about it, and in one thing humans are masters, the adaptative nature of human allow us to live on all kind of conditions.



Human Rules are :

1 -survive
2 -survive
3 -kil another humans
4 -eat tons of crap
5 -buy useless shit

[sniperwolf]

Poor people have no toys so they fuck for entertainment.

Could be true! And it explains why they bear a lot of child!

[pimpware]

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie Idiocracy I think it explains it perfectly!

I like money

[severe]

the natural selection is just different in criteria. just as animals living in the freezing cold will have different natural selection criteria from those that live in the desert.

how are they inferior though? we havent evolved any from the first human beings. original cavemen if raised in a civilized city from birth would be no different from anyone else and possess the same mental ability. human strength is in being able to pass knowledge down from generation to generation thats how we've been able to advance from cavemen to present, culmination of knowledge. each generation building ontop of the previous piece by piece.

[Quagmire]

If you're dirt poor in some 3rd world country, your safest bet for survival is to have as many kids as possible because of the high mortality rate. The more you have, the more likely you will have one/some that survive and will be able to take care of you and provide for you when you are old and unable to take care of yourself.

[justinsain]

One person can solve a problem that can save the lives of millions. It's not a mass amount of
people that will steer our evolutional direction it's a select few that will lead the way.

Evolution favors quality over quantity so it doesn't matter that people in Africa have many more children
than say the US. Also the difference in the mortality rate comes into play.

Jace posted an interesting illustration a few weeks ago of a " Super City " emptying it's waste into a Slum
just outside it's wall suggesting that mankind will evolve into two very distinct classes.

As the world becomes more populated and as we continue to deplete it of resources, tipping it's
delicate balance, it will take the action and leadership from only a few to ensure our survival. Will we become
two separate and very distinct classes or will we come together and become one.

[fluffygrrl]

2) If they get really hungry they can allways eat their offspring...

Lmao. FTW.

Evolution favors quality over quantity

Not at all. It favours quality through quantity.

[moeloubani]

Human evolution as a species = non existant, we've only been around so long and we haven't really evolved since we became what we are today thousands of years ago. You can't look at the times today and make a forecast for our evolution, yet you can bet that in some way the strongest will survive. Doesn't mean the ones with most money will - or it can mean just that.

[mryellow]

The strongest will likely be the poor in bad countries with bad health care.

The weak ones are those who have lived their whole lives with anti-biotics etc.

One bad bug can wipe out 90% of the 1st world while the 3rd world will likely have a
better chance of survival. Don't think that everyone outside the US is somehow less
evolved.... Even if they do look and act like monkeys in some places.

-Ben

[aico]

Because the more children you have in a 3rd world country that better the odds that one of them will make it past the age of 10.

Humans have become less intelligent, not more. Shit, we can't even figure out how people moved big blocks of stone.

[BradM]

Humans have become less intelligent, not more. Shit, we can't even figure out how people moved big blocks of stone.

Haha yea. I did a project on Egypt when I was 12. I asked my teacher how the hell a bunch of starving Africans managed to pull huge blocks of limestone up 1000+ft. She just stared and said something like "That's something not even scientists have been able to figure out."

I lost all hope right there.

Funny you bring that up.

[CDSmith]

Poor people have no toys so they fuck for entertainment.

That's right. We shouldn't be sending them money and food, we should be sending them our old VCR's and outdated TV's. And build them a few power plants to run them.


Population control through technology.

[Bama]

That's right. We shouldn't be sending them money and food, we should be sending them our old VCR's and outdated TV's. And build them a few power plants to run them. Population control through technology.

I remember back (25 years ago) when my girlfriend and I first moved in together - we were dirt poor. Handed down couch/bed, no tv, no money to go out to movies and our kitchen table had those folding down legs....

We fucked like rabbits cause we had nothing else to do.

Finally got a TV - and my sex life has never been as good since!

[Some Guy]

Human evolution as a species = non existant, we've only been around so long and we haven't really evolved since we became what we are today thousands of years ago.

Evolution is a slow process, man. Humans have been around a couple of million years and we've definitely come a long way. If you don't think we've evolved at all, you're crazy.

[Domain Diva]

l love to study nature.

If you look close when a species gets over populated ususally something happens to wipe a lot of them out

Im expecting mankind to have it happen and produce the same results

Aids came along and l thought maybe this was the moment but maybe it wasnt ,nature for sure will provide a solution

[kesha1]

I wouldn't say that people in developed countries are more intelligent than others!

[Some Guy]

Humans have become less intelligent, not more. Shit, we can't even figure out how people moved big blocks of stone.

So, just because we don't know how they "moved" those big blocks, we've become less intelligent somehow? Even though we've gone on to invent marvelous things, such as radios, microwaves, televisions, and computers?



And for the record, the pyramids weren't built via hauling huge blocks. The blocks were actually pourded thanks to a limestone based concrete mix that allowed the pyramids to be constructed relatively quickly, not over hundreds of years as some people would try and have you believe. Pour the mix, wait for it to harden, move on to the next. Pretty clever, actually.

[Some Guy]

l love to study nature.

If you look close when a species gets over populated ususally something happens to wipe a lot of them out

Im expecting mankind to have it happen and produce the same results

Aids came along and l thought maybe this was the moment but maybe it wasnt ,nature for sure will provide a solution

The Mayans, along with a few other cultures, predicted that the end of the fifth epoch of human civilization would come on or around December 21st, 2012. According to them, there had been four previous epochs, with our modern time being the fifth. The great flood and the black plague were two of the horrible occurrances that nearly wiped humans out in the past. Apparently something big is going to happen soon to wipe us out again and "reset" the planet.

[aico]

So, just because we don't know how they "moved" those big blocks, we've become less intelligent somehow? Even though we've gone on to invent marvelous things, such as radios, microwaves, televisions, and computers?

A perfect example of my theory would be someone who doesn't even know what the word intelligent means.

Just saying... it could happen.

[Domain Diva]

The Mayans, along with a few other cultures, predicted that the end of the fifth epoch of human civilization would come on or around December 21st, 2012. According to them, there had been four previous epochs, with our modern time being the fifth. The great flood and the black plague were two of the horrible occurrances that nearly wiped humans out in the past. Apparently something big is going to happen soon to wipe us out again and "reset" the planet.

I didnt know that Some Guy thanks for the info

[Some Guy]

A perfect example of my theory would be someone who doesn't even know what the word intelligent means.

Just saying... it could happen.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intelligence

1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

After looking at the technical marvels of the last two hundred years, you can't sit there and tell me the human race is losing its capacity to learn. That's just preposterous.

[aico]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intelligence

1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

After looking at the technical marvels of the last two hundred years, you can't sit there and tell me the human race is losing its capacity to learn. That's just preposterous.

Capacity for learning: Just go to any school and see how it's going.
Capacity for reasoning: Iraq war is a pretty good example of how that's lessor now.
Capacity for understanding: if I had a dollar for everytime someone said to me "I just don't understand..."

Aptitude in grasping truths: one word - Christianity
Aptitude in relationships: Divorce rate has never been higher
Aptitude in facts: Again, Iraq War comes to mind.
Aptitude in meanings: You posting the meaning of intelligent and still not understanding its meaning is a perfect example.

It's more intelligent to build a pyramid with logs and rocks, than it is to build a skyscraper using a computer.

[Some Guy]

Just because a few people are dumb doesn't mean everyone is.

Okay, a lot of people.

Over the last few thousand years the number of humans on this planet has grown ridiculously. And, as you know, the more people there are, the higher percentage of stupid people there are going to be.

Just watch MTV. It proves there are way too many unintelligent people out there these days. Ha!

And all of your examples were just plain stupid. Yeah, America's school system sucks, but go to Japan or something and tell me their school system isn't better now than it was thousands of years ago. Those people are damn smart for a reason. They know how to educate themselves.

[dig420]

I'm going to read this. I am curious what he has to say.

Evolution in humans in the last few hundred years has not favored survival of the fittest. As advanced brained animals we have sympathy. You'll never see a turtle give up his shell for another turtle with 3 babies who are freezing in the rain. But you see it with humans. This gives the weak the ability to breed and teach their offspring how to act the same way. Although I have no proof that genetics plays into it, I am sure there is a pattern somewhere.

Anyway, this sort of thing fascinates me.

That's called altruism and it's what seperates us from animals, it's not 'weakness'... goddam I'd hate to be your kid.

[dig420]

the people who live in the most developed countries are the most intelligent, the healthiest, and carry the best genes ........ yet they have far less kids than the people who live in the least developed countries

so basically the planet is getting populated by human beings who are inferior, how come? isn't the evolution all about the survival of the fittest?

We're not necessarily the most intelligent. We're the healthiest because we have access to the best health care and nutrition, not because of our genotype. Being born in a poverty stricken area does not make you 'inferior', whatever that means... People who live in poor or agricultural areas tend to have a lot of kids for the same reasons we had lots of kids in earlier eras, free labor and a better chance of security in our old age.

What you're asking about here is not evolution, it's natural selection. Natural selection is not 'survival of the fittest', it's 'survival of the MOST FIT.' The difference being that we're not talking about the biggest, strongest, fastest etc, we're talking about how well an organism is adapted to survive in it's environment, which can depend on many factors that aren't readily apparent.

[ManuelX]

Evolution is also the posibility to adapt to new and changing circumstances, surroundings, etc

[dig420]

no, evolution is the result of minute genetic mutations in an environment which is exerting selective pressure on those mutations so that only the beneficial ones are genetically encoded in succeeding generations. Nothing more.