I may not be the person to raise this discussion to a more rigorous ecological level, but let me try:
As I understand one view of natural selection, it is a process that favors those qualities that increase the likelihood of a particular set of genes being passed on to succeeding generations. So we have the obvious, e.g., selecting for opposable thumbs and bigger brains led to selecting for learning the use of tools (and weapons) which improved that particular clan's survivability -- and the survival of its gene set. It also explains some altruistic behaviors -- taking care of elderly clan members may have cost a little in terms of resource allocation, but that may have been more than offset by their providing services beneficial to the clan's survival. Services such as infant care, child mentoring and the transfer of accrued skills, knowledge and wisdom. It also may have led to learning some other behaviors such as killing the males and enslaving the females of competing clans -- not very altruistic but certainly improving the survival of the victorious clan's gene set. So why do we now seem to be learning behaviors that would appear to work against the survival of the gene set of the "clan" we belong to? Behaviors such as being kind to strangers instead of killing the males and raping the females, sending aid to foreign countries instead of engaging in genocide, promoting birth control instead of large families, honoring monogamy and celibacy instead of promiscuity, protecting and conserving other species instead of eliminating them as competitors or threats, honoring humility instead of belligerence, honoring artists more than soldiers (okay, this may be a bad example since we expend much more of our resources on the military than we do on the arts). It appears, at least to this field ecologist, that we are practicing behaviors aimed at improving the survival of a whole host of competing and maybe even antagonistic gene sets. And most of us (but not all of us) believe that is exactly what we should be doing. Where and how is natural selection at work in all this? Warren Aney Senior Wildlife Ecologist Tigard, Oregon -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of isabella capellini Sent: Tuesday, 14 February, 2006 08:36 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: current natural selection pressures > > Perhaps human intelligence and humility will become > > > a selective pressure. Really?? How? will more intelligent and humile people have more offspring??? Isabella Dr. Isabella Capellini, PhD Research Associate Department of Anthropology Durham University 43 Old Elvet Durham DH1 3HN (UK) phone: +44 (0)191 3346177 fax: +44-(0)191-3346101 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] webpage: http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/staff/ ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo http://uk.photos.yahoo.com
