Devolution.

[arcticwolf]

There is technological progress, but as a specie are humans evolving or devolving mentally, as a whole?

Don't chimp out here, you know who you are.

So what do you think.

[arcticwolf]

Poll added.

[Acquisitor]

how can there be a devolution when nearly everyone has instant access to nearly the entire database of all possible knowledge ? That's completely unprecedented in history.

I'm quite confident about the internet generation's future, despite of all the wasted time spent on moronic sites like facebook.

[Mjod]

Specialization and trade have allowed humans to continually expand and perform on new levels throughout history allowing more of our human capital to be spent on academics, personal fulfillment, etc., rather than simply surviving. I believe we have always had the same mental capacity, but as we develop tools, our minds open up a little more toward that capacity. However, I would say the early modern humans used more mental capacity (inventing, surviving) than a person today, who works a dead-end job and sits on the internet all day while at home (never inventing, developing, challenging their mind.) So, we have and will always have the same mental capacity; some people choose to develop with it and others are along for the ride.

[Thora]

That is total nonsense... in no way is either mental or physical retardation devolution... it is caused by flaws in the DNA and nothing more.

[Furnace]

Devolving, intelligent people don't have children, dumb people seem to procreate a lot.

[arcticwolf]

That is total nonsense... in no way is either mental or physical retardation devolution... it is caused by flaws in the DNA and nothing more.

That's not really what we are discussing here.

[arcticwolf]

Devolving, intelligent people don't have children, dumb people seem to procreate a lot.

Excellent point.

[Neanderthal]

Physically and mentally we have been down hill for a couple decades now. Man of yesterday was stronger and smarter, and I don't mean the 'smart' type who knows who to use a Tablet PC, but the smart type who is smart enough to control his emotions, has everything in order and takes care of things when needed, most 'men' nowadays don't know how to change a goddamn light bulb and they consider themselves 'alpha' because they like to play smooth with ladies, when in reality this is one of the most infantile behaviors for a guy.

Some people can argue today we have better food, but it's absolutely nor true at all, most people are not made to eat crops, maize, wheat, etc. Others could say we have more access to knowledge, but be honest, how many here read a book in their spare time? now imagine SWAG kids with low IQ, they barely can read, same as health, we have gyms ok, but how many people visit them?

[Prisoner Of Ice]

It's not a couple decades, it's 20k years that people's brains have shrunk and they have grown fatter and more gracile.

Basically people today are mainly stuck as caterpillars and never become beautiful neanderthal butterfly they were meant to be.

The fatness and the brain shrinking are not theory, they have been observed in archaeology from the very beginning. Neanderthals had about 1500 ml skull. Cromag 1 skull is about 1800 ml. Some south african skulls from 20k years ago may well top 2300 ml.

This has been observed in all domestic animals, too. Basically when there is easy living the least common denominator is the winner and outbreeds the ones who have a longer life cycle. So instead of kids maturing at 17 years old who have large brain cases, we have kids who reach puberty at 8 years old in the inner city and have much tinier brains.

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/sep...rain-shrinking

It's funny because most scientist try to pass it off like it's a good thing and brains are just more efficient and stuff, man. But there is no 'reorganization' so much as prefrontal area and neocortex has shrunk a lot in last 20k years. I guess that's why 99% of population lives paycheck to paycheck and goes into debt to buy useless junk from china that breaks six months later.