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To be fair, one might argue that medical intervention would inhibit natural selection. At least, selection for individuals with less risk of cancer.
by jakeinspace 6y ago
To be fair, one might argue that medical intervention would inhibit natural selection. At least, selection for individuals with less risk of cancer.
- ceejayoz 6y agoPurely physical fitness is not the only parameter natural selection optimizes for. If it were, human babies would be born functional, like most other creatures.
- aspenmayer 6y agoThere’s a relationship between r/K type[1] and body size, resting heart rate, length of gestation cycle, length of time from birth to reproduction, parental rearing duration or presence, and more. Very interesting to me, though it doesn’t say much about humans relating to other humans. I also believe this theory has been criticized, and I don’t mean to advocate for it, but to raise awareness about how statistics give power to test our science as well as our intuitions, when it is used properly. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/K_selection_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/K_selection_theory
- abjKT26nO8 6y agoNo, one cannot. Modern medicine is part of our environment. Failure to make use of it is a failure to adapt to the current environment which lessens the disadvantage of individuals with higher risk of cancer, who may have other advantages letting them thrive in this environment.