The Descent of Man
Don’t you just love this? Ostensibly about errors of science in films, it touches on a most significant point:
It is a common misconception of evolutionary theory that organisms are always getting “better”, with humans somehow the “best”. This goes hand-in-hand with the idea that there will be some later, better, superhuman, the “next stage in human evolution”.
The mutants in X-Men are a case in point. Simultaneously across the world, a new generation develops mutations that give them seemingly magical powers. They are even called “homo superior” by one character.
In reality, evolution takes place slowly, over thousands or millions of years. Mutations are rare, generally small, and almost invariably harmful. Species are not “better” or “worse” in some quasi-moral fashion, just more or less appropriate for their environment. An ape, a daffodil or a slug is exactly as evolved as we are, just in a different direction.
While we are on the subject, Kevin Costner’s character in Waterworld has developed gills. It’s as though the mutation happened in response to the environment changing. Again, this is not how it happens: evolutionary pressures work on what is already there, mutations do not happen in response to the environment.
Yo! Homo Chavus is upon us and his mate, Homo Querulus.
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I think the film ‘Idiocracy’ makes the point quite well.
Pisces – yes, that’s a top one.
Ivan – yes.
Well don’t forget people see us as the final pinnacle of human evolution while we are clearly not. We are merely the current high point in history.
I’ve always seen evolution as some deformity which is made to genes and then thrown into the petri dish called Earth. If it does not cause a negative reaction, such as a third nipple compared to limping, then it stays in our gene pool. If it does, limping, then the negative reaction causes us to lose the ability to run and thus survive.
Nowadays of course we are artificially changing this. We keep children with fatal illnesses alive so they can live a full life, including having children and passing this gene on. Not a problem while we are top of the food chain and have the technology to treat this in the womb or after birth and keep the person alive but would become one if our civilisation collapses 40 generations down the line and the generation after than have 90% of these genes and we cannot treat them.
Sometimes we are too smart for our own good and although somethings are right to do they are not always right to do.
What we call birth defects, webbed fingers, a sixth finger etc. are actually evolutionary steps. Not many steps are going to give you super powers and certainly not in one generation as Water World or XMen implied although those changes could be going on now where someone has telekinetic abilities or can read minds. It’s been talked about for generations we could already have those genes among us.
I am beginning to wonder if you have been following me around all weekend…