Human species 'may split in two'

[TheReasoner]

Ugh, this thread feels like it's based on nothing more than a pop-culture understanding of Evolution and Natural Selection

It's all about reproduction. So unless (to run with the OP's suggestions) all the short, ugly, strong, unintelligent and sickly people start breeding fairly exclusively with like individuals and are so good at surviving that they have a high reproduction rate through millennia of successive generations, we have nothing to worry about.

And even given the high unlikelihood of this occurring at all, we would then also need all the tall, smart and overall superior people to do likewise. Considering the relatively small percentage of people that would completely fit into the ubermensch category, that population would likely be unable to sustain itself.

Besides all of which, people are not going to breed for sub-intelligence in great numbers (or even small numbers) at any point since it would be a substantively negative strategy for reproductive survival among humans.

As others have said, get humans on different planets and then we might see speciation after quite a long time. But not while we're just on Earth alone unless we manage to destroy most of our civilization to the point where humanity once again lives in small isolated tribes.

Breeding might present a problem as society seems to have deteriorated somewhat. Intelligence is not highly sought after. Looks and brawn are. In fact, intelligence is often stigmatized. If you're intelligent and young you are likely to spend your days an outcast until you reach a certain age. At the same time jocks and cheerleaders have a much higher degree of sexual encounters. While the morality of this is questionable, it does mean that they are more likely to reproduce and bring forward genes which will not benefit the human race half as much as the genes of intellectuals and... Well, 'geeks'.
I think a large part of the blame for this should and does go to Hollywood's focus on sex and body while at the same time stigmatizing the intellectuals. It cannot be good and I fear we are going to see at least some degree of decay due to these issues.

 

[necroforest]

tl;dr thread, so if this was already posted, I appologize.

There is no way that, if this happened, the "lower" class would be the one "defenseless" against disease - it would be the other way around. Access to first-class medical care essentially negates any survival/reproductive advantage that having strong natural defenses to disease would give someone. If you look at the various human populations today, the ones that have evolved things like immunity to malaria and resistance to HIV are the ones living in huts in the middle of nowhere that do NOT have access to good medical care.

 

[Paulos23]

I for one welcome our Morlock masters.

 

[Pwnzerfaust]

If this was posted already, sorry, but I'm not in the mood to read 5 pages of posts, SO!

Humans wouldn't "split in two" unless we were separated physically. For example, if somehow technology had never been developed, the people in South America would (eventually) not be able to breed with the people in Europe. Likewise for Australia and Africa. They would then be different species.

However, technology WAS developed. The only way I can see for humans to split into separate species now is colonization of other star systems. After all, the vast distances between the planets would prevent regular interbreeding, and the humans on the various colonies would gradually adapt to their new environments.

 

[TheReasoner]

If this was posted already, sorry, but I'm not in the mood to read 5 pages of posts, SO!

Humans wouldn't "split in two" unless we were separated physically. For example, if somehow technology had never been developed, the people in South America would (eventually) not be able to breed with the people in Europe. Likewise for Australia and Africa. They would then be different species.

However, technology WAS developed. The only way I can see for humans to split into separate species now is colonization of other star systems. After all, the vast distances between the planets would prevent regular interbreeding, and the humans on the various colonies would gradually adapt to their new environments.

That depends. If we find a way to traverse the vast distances in convenient speeds that may not occur either. Sure, we think it's impossible now. But we've been wrong before...

 

[Pwnzerfaust]

That depends. If we find a way to traverse the vast distances in convenient speeds that may not occur either. Sure, we think it's impossible now. But we've been wrong before...

You have a point there, though at the moment it seems impossible.

 

[ChordatesLegacy]

The only way I can see for humans to split into separate species now is colonization of other star systems. After all, the vast distances between the planets would prevent regular interbreeding, and the humans on the various colonies would gradually adapt to their new environments.

Or a mass extinction of the human race, leaving small pockets of people remote from each other for say 200,000 years; i think that would do it.

 

[DuckPhup]

There is a therory that eventually differnt classes of humanity will evolve differntly. It says the poor people will grow short, ugly, strong, unintelligent, and defencless to many diseases while the upper class will evolve into tall, smart, and overall superior people. These divides would happen eventually over time, some argue, if no mixing occured but future technologies offered only to the rich such as immunization, breading out defects, and enginering babys to look "perfect" may cause this to happen even sooner, soon being like 10,000 years. Enviromental changes, like living in space, may also cause a similar effect over time.


What exactly do you think of this subject? Will humanity eventually split in two because of class or enviroment? Why would god do this?

I think it has already happened. We now have Homo Rationalis... sane, rational, intelligent, critically-thinking people... and Homo Dumbassticus... religious people.

The most obvious problem with this idea is that the two groups are still able to procreate together... so I could be wrong.

Usually, though, an environmental stressor of some sort is required to spur evolutionary change. Going from gravity to no-gravity, for example, would do it.

After populations of humans have existed, lived out their whole lives, and reproduced in orbital habitats for hundreds of years, in a weightless environment, they might very well end up with a beachball shaped body, with spindly arms and legs and a protruding, muscular, articulating, tube-like anus. They might subsist mainly on a diet of cabbage, peas, pork-and-beans and beer, and propel themselves about their environment via controlled flatulence.

Oh... and their sense of smell will atrophy... and they won't get many visitors.

 

[Naraoia]

I think it has already happened. We now have Homo Rationalis... sane, rational, intelligent, critically-thinking people... and Homo Dumbassticus... religious people.

Don't be another consol. Please.

After populations of humans have existed, lived out their whole lives, and reproduced in orbital habitats for hundreds of years, in a weightless environment, they might very well end up with a beachball shaped body, with spindly arms and legs and a protruding, muscular, articulating, tube-like anus. They might subsist mainly on a diet of cabbage, peas, pork-and-beans and beer, and propel themselves about their environment via controlled flatulence.

Oh... and their sense of smell will atrophy... and they won't get many visitors.

*snort chuckle roflmao*

 

[TheGnome]

I didn't read the entire thread, so I apologize if I'm echoing someone from earlier, but I remember reading that article. I believe I read it on the BBC website, and I later found out that the author of this so called theory is an economist--if I recall correctly.

Intelligence, class status, monetary status, and attractiveness are many times found independently from one another. There are many attractive, intelligent individuals who simply aren't of the elite nor do they make much money. Conversely, I have noticed many trolls among the rich elite, but are certainly unattractive and only intelligent enough to make it through life. This is just through my observation, but I'm sure my observation is not unique. It seems that the author of this conjecture makes the common classist claim that wealth and power also indicates attractiveness and intelligence--a convenient assumption if you're among the wealthy and powerful.

Evolution isn't a predictive theory like that. Evolution is short-term goal oriented, therefore making any long-term predictions practically useless unless you can guarantee a static environment, and no guarantee can ever be made.

 

[Nitron]

I think it has already happened. We now have Homo Rationalis... sane, rational, intelligent, critically-thinking people... and Homo Dumbassticus... religious people.

LUL STOOPID RELIGIOSES INDOCTRINATE CHILDREN MENTAL DISEASE DARK AGES