evolution v. social darwinism

[billwald]

From another post:

"So how come we still have stupid people? Shouldn't EVOLUTION solve this problem for me, or am I forced to deal with them for the rest of my life?"

Short answer is that someone has to work on garbage trucks. Correct answer is that the question fails to differentiate between evolution and social darwinism.

People get their ideas about this topic from science fiction. The concept, the phrase "highly evolved" is biologicall meaningless. The cockroach is probably the most successful multicelled animal on the earth and will probably be around after humans disappear in a radioactive cloud.

There is no logical or scientific reason to conclude that people with a high IQ are generally more successful in terms of evolution. There is little chance that the world will run out of stupid people.

"The Bell Curve" made a good case that high IQ is predictive of social success in the USofA. All that means is that smart people can manipulate the existing social contract. But stupid people are biologically more successful than smart people because they are having more kids.

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

Yeah, similiar to the "If we evolved from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys?!" arguement.

Simply put, stupid people may be intellectual failures, but they are still successful at breeding which is all that matters in passing down your genes.

Intelligence is also highly dependent upon how you are raised. If we can teach a gorilla sign language then a red neck should have no trouble learning remedial algebra, it's just a lack of trying or interest. I bet if you gave them a treat for every successful question answered there would be alot more people in the advanced classes.

 

[ReUsAbLePhEoNiX]

"The Bell Curve" made a good case that high IQ is predictive of social success in the USofA. All that means is that smart people can manipulate the existing social contract. But stupid people are biologically more successful than smart people because they are having more kids.

yes I see this all around me to know its true... Evolution favors the horny and dumb. In other words if you want to be a sucsessful human being its good to be stupid and horny

 

[Late_Cretaceous]

Being horny makes you stupid.


Excellent post BTW.

 

[ThePhoenix]

Social darwinism is based on the concept that personality is genetic. That is flawed, and has jack to do with evolution.

 

[pureone]

The distiction is trying to be made on that bloodstained evolution thread too...people don't see the difference though...

 

[the_malevolent_milk_man]

Haha, I gave up on that thread like 150 posts ago. It's good for a laugh and reassures me of the point I made in my previous post.

 

[pureone]