[lbo-talk] Human species 'may split in two': evolutionaary theorist

kevin island kevin_island2003 at yahoo.com
Wed Oct 18 08:14:34 PDT 2006


Others worry aloud about posthuman or transhuman futures. How might the technologies of "genetics enhancement" be deployed? One could speculate endlessly. What if molecular-level intellectual enhancements were deployed as selectively as expensive tutoring and SAT-prep courses? Would that matter? Or might a host of enhancements lead to the ultimate mediocrity?

It remains possible that the human genome has an ecology of its own, and that piecemeal tinkering with this ecology could lead to unexpected results.

Kevin

Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol at jhu.edu> wrote:

Sujeet quoted:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6057734.stm

BBC News Last Updated: Tuesday, 17 October 2006, 08:47 GMT 09:47 UK

Human species 'may split in two'

Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.

Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.

[WS:] What truly amazes me is that such paper and pencil "theorists" survive in the academe in the era when empirical neuroscience and genetics are making a real progress. This is akin to the growth of "alternative" quackery in times when science and medicine can actually treat many previously hopeless conditions.

It seems that overall rise in the standards of living does produce decadence and cravings for the exotic and the primordial, which in turns creates fertile grounds for quacks of various sorts.

Wojtek

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