Finally I have had time to put everything aside and focus on your informative reply. Funny thing is, it never occurred to me that natural selection did not operate with humans. I see you enlist valid studies to support that view. My 'opinion' is more casual than that, and therefore less valid.
I think I feel this way for several reasons:
- I always think of us as animals. We are part of the animal kingdom. I don't know why we would be 'exceptional' and exempt from natural selection.
- I believe individuals can be altruistic, but that as a group humans are quite tribal. They operate for the success of the group. Those who don't are generally ostracized, to one one extent or another.
However, I am fascinated by your research. If you don't write a science blog about this, I may have to. Always my blogs are driven by curiosity. Questions, such as this one, arise and I want to know more.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with me.
I'm in agreement with you that it seems to me that the same rules would apply to all of us, but this topic is mine field of controversy. The issue is that human behavior is extremely complex when compared to that of a non-human animal. So, it's hard to get clean data out of humans. If I wanted to study human mating behavior, I would not be able to get ethics approval to put secret cameras in people's bedrooms to see how they behaved sexually in their natural environment. This would not be a problem, if I wanted to study squirrels. :)
Don't tempt me, or I may yet take a bite of that fruit.
Please do?!!!
I might just do it. Natural selection can be a dry subject, but if I can find a way to add a little spice, I'll be on it quicker than you can say survival of the fittest for reproductive success.
Oh yeah, just add an affair or something, or a perchant for wierdness. it'll be great.