Are we stoping the evolution of the human race?

Question

following the rules of natural selection, (darwin) surely by catering to disabilateas and allowing them to reproduce we are stopping natural selction? as they wouldnt survive on there own in the "wild"

~(i have nothing against them by the way o im not being mean!)

Answer 1

yeh to a degree but with all due respect most people with severe disabilities tend not to reproduce anyway.. I must tend to agree with you on other things though.

Answer 2

We're not stopping it.  Just changing the course of evolution.  No one can predict what will be the effect of meddling with genetics either.

I think IVF is a lot worse than letting disabled people reproduce.  At least the disabled that reproduce are meant to do so by natural selection.

Those having IVF children i would argue are not fit to reproduce by the laws of natural selection.

Think about it!

Answer 3

Who are these people that are catering for disabilateas?

(and what or who are they?)

I doubt if Spell Check can work that one out

Answer 4

Yes, you're right, the term 'survival of the fittest' doesn't apply to humans anymore.

Answer 5

on a mass global scale, a few people with disabilities getting it on aren;t really going to alter the course of evolution that much,

Answer 6

I don't know but a good point to raise!

I'm dyslexic too!!!!

People can be mean sometimes there is a difference between not being able to spell due to a disability and just being lazy and not learning!!  take no notice

Answer 7

I think humans have moved from biological evolution to cultural evolution. Although our genetic code will continue to change, we now primarily adapt to changes in our environment through our culture and not through physical adaptation.

Answer 8

No because evolution is a lie and creationism is the only truth.

We were made in a week and formed from mud in a pretty garden remember and our lives suck because of a talking snake and an apple.

Now run along and stop asking such silly questions.

Answer 9

Because Medical Science has allowed those with genetic defects to reproduce we no longer have a huge negative selection for these traits, so in a sense we are increasing the number of offspring with genes that previously would have been selected against by evolution.  However, evolution continues via gene drift, but we have impacted the rate of natural selection.

In the end, evolution will continue, but until some bottle neck occurs, we will not have natural selection for survival traits.  However, until then, these genes will appear in the population... they just might not increase.

Answer 10

Ask the wrong questions and your will get the wrong answers. In the thousands of years there have been very few changes in the human race. If anything we are getting worse, not better. That has nothing to do with natural selection or survival of the fit, but to worsening health problems, poor diets, and lack of exercise. We are falling apart. I am surprised that most people can still walk around.

Evolution is a cruel, wasteful, and random process. It is unbelievable that it was what made all this beauty and complexity. Study creationism for ten minutes. It offers a much more viable option.

Answer 11

i have one leg, my wife is almost blind, yet our kids are both perfectly "normal" eldest is off to uni to study medicine. what youre suggesting is a universal law of eugenics.. and its wrong on so many levels.

and darwin was wrong. human evolution is a myth. the recombined zygote either survives or fails. it is by recombining DNA in teh womb, where we achieve our "evolution" eve is 4.5 million years old... evolutionary, the women of today would have bigger hands, to cope with the extra washing up! (im joking of course) but you get the point, its hasnt happened has it?

we only live longer due to better lifestyles, and advances in medicine... its got nothing to do with evolution...

and by "them" i presume you mean the disabled? well, i guarantee you this; NOT one of us asked to be disabled, yet we survive in your world, could you survive in ours?

Answer 12

The evolution of the human race is to kill what we love ... we have the very strange power to commit suicide via our own actions ....No other animal on this planet has ever had that power ...yet we WILL one day use this power in a fit of rage in the hope that WE can WIN..!!..... How strange ....nuff said

Answer 13

There is some truth to that (no matter how much some people here will feign outrage and have almost orgasmic pleasure criticizing you).

Answer 14

Yes I agree with you, no matter how you spell.

Many of our "challenged" persons would not survive. As well, some able bodied ones wouldn't live either.

I do not beleive we are stopping evolution, just hindering it.

Answer 15

no you are right.  but the instinct to survive is what keeps us looking to science to cure disease. therefore maybe yes we are stopping natural selection in a way, but if even one of those people who were saved can help us live longer or give us better insight to the universe, ex: stephen hawking,  we will begin evolving in a different way, if we can cure our bodies to live longer or live at all then we can use our minds longer and progress intellectually.  just an opinion of mine.

Answer 16

No, we are not stopping evolution. But we are changing the evolution of the human race, possibly for the worse. Not just disabilities but also stupidity.  We breed for looks, not brains or competence.

Read H.G. Wells "The Time Machine" for some idea of what may be in store for the human race.

Answer 17

The Human race has stopped evolving.  

Evolution occurs in small populations which are under pressure for survival.  Mutations which render a reproductive advantage survive, and dominate the gene pool.

To draw an analogy, if you drop a drop of red food dye in a test tube of water, the water will turn red.  Now drop that same drop of dye into a swimming pool  --- Nothing happens.

We are for the most part not under survival stress, and we are too large for a mutation to dominate.

Answer 18

If you are dyslexic maybe we should remove you from the gene pool too?

Answer 19

God help us if you're the future. It's disabilities not disabilateas.

Answer 20

Use the spell checker.

Response:

all the more reason to use the spell checker

Answer 21

Survival of the fittest means the fittest for the particular environment.... While there are still very primitive pockets of humans living in the "wild", for most of us the "wild" has gone from jungles & deserts & forests to buildings & freeways & cities which totally changes which traits are needed to survive.

Answer 22

No we're not stopping evolution, the very nature of evolution is that things are constantly changing. You could say that evolution is evolving though if it helps.

Answer 23

A good question and something i have thought about myself.

Looking back to a long time ago now....

We evolved to survive, as you said "Survival of the fittest". If a mutated gene in a human had coded for a characteristic inhibiting the ability to survive predatation etc. then the gene would not be transfered through generations as the human would be killed easier than others, however, if a mutated gene benefitted th survival of primitive man, then the human would likely live longer an the gene be passed on throuh generations until the race had "evolved" so to speak. As time went on this mutated gene that had been passed on to many humans would become a necessity to live as the humans without it would be being wiped out by evolved predators. (Sorry if that was all conusing)

However as you said, by allowing those with with "negative" mutations to genes to reproduce, then there will be a greater percentage of handicapped in the future generation of people. We are evolving, but because we can cater for those in need, it may be that very gradually we are evolvin into shorter lifespans etc.

Ironically our knowledge, skills and advancements in medicine could ultimately be leading peopel to have a "natural" shorter lifespan .