I think this is a really interesting concept. There are some conditions that might have been a giant hindrance a few hundred years ago that have suddenly been made a non-issue. One that immediately came to mind is bad eye sight. Mine is pretty bad, but the fact that I'm currently wearing contacts and soon enough will probably get lasik surgery means my other genetic traits which are probably a little stronger (genetics are to some degree a zero sum game) make me a superior person! :tongue: Really though, we've been selecting for certain traits this whole time and in the recent past one of the giant ones that was considered no longer really needs to be considered. Can you guys think of any other traits that aren't important to consider anymore due to leveling playing fields? How do you feel about this if you have naturally bad vision that really isn't so bad thanks to artificial means?
there's other ones, but ive thought about this before, too.. If everyone had to go through life with bad vision, like they did up until just a couple hundred years ago, bad vision would eventually ween itself out of the gene pool, right? i mean they would walk in front of trains, be less productive, eventually evolve out of the pool. however, since everyone gets glasses that needs them, they are allowed to reproduce. Bad vision parents giving birth to bad vision kids. without glasses, they wouldn;t have survived long enough to procreate with each other. it's de-evolving the human race.
This is a great point, I'll add to it if I may...as I've had similar thoughts. The word I choose to use is 'evolving'. I remember my history teacher telling me my little toe was slowly evolving off of my foot. It was a joke of course, but it got me thinking. Some people believe that our Appendix is an organ no longer necessary due to processed foods that don't contain bone fragments. Me personally, I'm convinced that hair has been slowly evolving off of our bodies because we've worn coats, sweaters and shirts for so long. The purpose of the hair is being replaced with something else. I have similar theories about dentistry and the effects of generations upon generations using products with fluoride. It can only go so far as a theory, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Well genetic engineering is right around the corner so really what we should be prioritizing are things that genetic engineering won't account for. Intelligence, and foresight (bigger better frontal lobes) being paramount I think. I don't think it's necessarily de-evolving the human race. We're probably getting smarter because of it. We reap the benefits of Stephen Hawking's mind thanks to technology. 50 years ago he wouldn't have been able to share what he has to offer. People with bad eyesight are stereotypically smarter then average. They're lacking in physical aptitude, and making up for it with the mental side. The thing is, the physical aptitude aspect has been rendered null, and it's hard to see us de-evolving to the point where vision is not correctable.
someone's gonna have to be the brute force of the future.. why can't we be both physically fit AND smart? I know lots of blind morons.
Robots will probably be the brute force. We can be both, but prioritizing strength will make us stronger faster. Prioritizing intelligence will make us smarter faster. With potential cataclysmic cosmic events on the horizon, which one should we go with?
ey sweetie BECAUSE GOING FOR BOTH WON'T MAKE US SMART ENOUGH FAST ENOUGH TO DIVERT THE COMET HEADING STRAIGHT FOR USSSSSSSS! duh
