3 ms·

> They are also bigger, lay larger eggs and have smaller brains than their wild cousins - differences that are also seen in chickens. I wonder if something sim

> They are also bigger, lay larger eggs and have smaller brains than their wild cousins - differences that are also seen in chickens. I wonder if something similar is also happening in amongst some humans in some selection process. Breeders with less cognitive material than others, the others being seen as less sexually attractive (like as seen in Idiocracy, and I posit: real life) I wonder how long it will remain controversial to consider that

wincy 5y ago
People who believe in evolution have fewer kids. Is a belief in natural selection a negative selection pressure? If you bring this up people who are rational seem to get upset.
- vmception 5y ago
  I would take it a step further to say that we - as a society - sexually select for behaviors we don't like in society. As well as sexual dimorphism to the point of physical features being debilitating.
- philwelch 5y ago
  Natural selection also applies to cultural beliefs and behaviors, albeit in a "selfish gene" sort of way that propagates the beliefs and behaviors rather than the practitioners thereof. For instance, universalist religions like Christianity and Islam have supplanted traditional ethnic religions. Anyway, there's definitely something about the culture of contemporary developed countries that's not adaptive, but I'm not sure it's belief in evolution itself.
- elzbardico 5y ago
  I think it is complicated because a lot of our long term fitness depends on the society. So, in the short term, you have some pressure for high promiscuity/low intelligence, but over time you'd have a very fragile society, and the slower reproducing more intelligent society would be more successful in the long run either because it obliterated the less intelligent ones in war, or just because it was able to overcome things like natural disaster, child mortality, hunger, cold, heat and disease
- rowanG077 5y ago
  Most likely functioning higher reasoning ability are a negative selection pressure in modern society.

wincy 5y ago

People who believe in evolution have fewer kids. Is a belief in natural selection a negative selection pressure? If you bring this up people who are rational seem to get upset.

vmception 5y ago
I would take it a step further to say that we - as a society - sexually select for behaviors we don't like in society. As well as sexual dimorphism to the point of physical features being debilitating.
philwelch 5y ago
Natural selection also applies to cultural beliefs and behaviors, albeit in a "selfish gene" sort of way that propagates the beliefs and behaviors rather than the practitioners thereof. For instance, universalist religions like Christianity and Islam have supplanted traditional ethnic religions. Anyway, there's definitely something about the culture of contemporary developed countries that's not adaptive, but I'm not sure it's belief in evolution itself.
elzbardico 5y ago
I think it is complicated because a lot of our long term fitness depends on the society. So, in the short term, you have some pressure for high promiscuity/low intelligence, but over time you'd have a very fragile society, and the slower reproducing more intelligent society would be more successful in the long run either because it obliterated the less intelligent ones in war, or just because it was able to overcome things like natural disaster, child mortality, hunger, cold, heat and disease
rowanG077 5y ago
Most likely functioning higher reasoning ability are a negative selection pressure in modern society.