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Old February 14th 20, 02:11 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Alain Fournier[_3_]
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Default we need more than a single planet

On Feb/13/2020 at 07:34, Jeff Findley wrote :
In article , says...
So, why would humans on Mars make this any different? Are humans on
Mars going to abandon modern medicine? Why would they ever do that?


If you change the environment (Mars is a different environment) it is
likely that some traits will produce more offspring than others
relatively to the previous environment.


Production of offspring is one aspect of natural selection. Another is
offspring dying before procreating. Humans have mucked with both
(fertility treatments and modern neonatal care). Natural selection in
humans has been greatly diminished by modern health care.

Evolution, in the biological sense, is not about a species developing
abilities that someone thinks are better. It is not about becoming
stronger, more intelligent, more beautiful... It is about survival of
the fittest. If having alleles that cause cystic fibrosis works in your
environment, you can evolve towards that.


You're talking out of both sides of your mouth here. I snipped the part
where you said modern medicine allows people with cystic fibrosis to
live much longer and procreate more often than they did before. I'd
argue that the impact of modern medicine on cystic fibrosis swamps the
impact that natural selection might still have.


From my point of view, your the one talking out of both sides of your
mouth. Yes modern medicine has a big impact on the transmission of the
alleles causing cystic fibrosis, that is what will cause evolution in
this respect. It used to be that those alleles were suppressed, now much
less. That will change the genetic makeup of humanity. In other words it
will make humans evolve towards a species where those alleles are more
frequent. I think that you have a false perception of what evolution is
in the biological sense. It isn't about species becoming better
according to what you think is better. Humans can evolve towards more
cystic fibrosis alleles, that is evolution.

If a species is in an
environment where being more intelligent makes it more fit, then it will
evolve towards more intelligence. If a species is in an environment
where being stupid makes you more fit, it will evolve towards stupidity.


You are arguing for natural selection. Again, modern medicine short
circuits that by keeping less intelligent humans alive. Furthermore,
studies have shown that college educated humans tend to have fewer
offspring than non-college educated humans. Again, this goes completely
against natural selection.


No it doesn't. If we are in an environment where non-college educated
humans thrive better than college educated humans, we will evolve
towards a species with less college educated humans. Biological
evolution is not about becoming smarter and more educated because you
think that is a good thing. Mother nature doesn't care about what you
think is a good thing and will make humanity evolve towards less smarts
and less college education if we are in an environment favourable to those.

In fact, it's the opening sequence of the
movie Idiocracy (not that I'm saying we're going to get Idiocracy).


I didn't see that movie. But it seems to me that would be a movie about
humanity evolving towards idiocy. That is evolution in the biological
sense. Once again, the fact that you and I think it is better to be
smart than to be an idiot, doesn't mean that evolution has to go towards
smarter people. Mother nature doesn't care about what we think is the best.


Alain Fournier