Natural Selection
Wikipedia says (in part) natural selection is:
Whether you are a believer in God, or any other higher power, or not, natural selection exists.
One could argue that a deity of some type makes choices about which species thrives or dies, but there is no proof that any such deity exists.
The Bible isn't proof of anything in particular happened one way or another. It could be entirely fiction or not.
It does have a lot of good stories, suggestions on how to treat others, and the like, and these are a worthwhile ideal to base your life on, but whether God exists or not isn't proven.
That's what faith is about.
Believing in something.
Let's take what we can prove.
Over time, organisms change and adapt to conditions in their habitat.
Changing color to blend in better, developing a defense mechanism, growing bigger or smaller, and many other things.
Humans don't so much adapt to suit the habitat as adapt the habitat to suit humans.
Humans have adapted the environment quite a bit, which affects all the other organisms on the planet.
Most notable are pollution and building.
Building takes away habitat from the other species.
Pollution affects the environment species live in several ways. Changing the balance of chemicals in the water and food supply most notably.
A few months ago, there was a show on PBS about changes in the water chemistry from various sources (mostly factories and farming runoff) and the testing of those chemicals for 'safe levels'.
What they found was that even though each individual chemical level was 'safe', they were combining to create new, unsafe water conditions which were harming the species living in those waters.
Some species, and I would guess given enough time, all species, can adapt to these changes.
Most have happened quickly though, not allowing species time to adapt, and causing some species to become extinct.
Extinction is part of the process of natural selection. Some species, or enough members of a species, can not adapt enough to survive and they die off.
While this is sad, it is part of the process.
Eventually, humanity will probably suffer the same fate.
Overpopulation is a problem humanity faces.
Too many people living in too small of a space, or, not enough food to feed everyone.
As time passes, medicines have increased the life expectancy of humans.
Other things are factors too, better nourishment from food is also a major contributer.
Exercise, better understanding of how the body functions, etc. have all extended the life expectancy of humans.
This is certainly a noble endeavor, but is it good for us?
Is it good for Earth and the other species living on it?
No one wants to die, nor have any of their friend and family die.
You certainly can't blame them for that.
I don't want any of my friends or family to die, but it's a part of life.
As soon as you're born, you're dying.
Or
Your age is only how long you've been dying.
By living longer, we are stressing the Earth by taking up space and resources.
Nature decides when we die, but we are continually circumventing the process.
Many diseases have either cures or vaccinations to prevent them.
But this is exactly why we have natural selection, to make sure that the strongest of the species survives, thus making it stronger as a whole and less likely to become extinct.
When I was born (1975), there weren't really any antibacterial soaps in general circulation.
Kids played with whatever was around, bugs, sticks, our toys, others' toys, mud, and who knows what else, and were exposed to many germs and bacteria.
This allows a better immune system to develop and fight off infections easier, which is a good thing.
Now, antibacterial soaps are everywhere, and everyone is encouraged to wash frequently to avoid germs and infections.
If you are not exposed to these viral oraganisms, you can't develop a good immune system.
I'm not saying we should get rid of vaccinations or antibacterial soaps, we just need to be careful of how we treat infections and disease
Safety equipment is another place I think we've gone too far.
Don't get me wrong, it's sad that some kids will die from being hit by a car, poking a coat hanger into an outlet, ingesting something poisonous, or whatever, but it's part of the process called 'thinning the herd'.
I understand in the cases of the very young that they don't have the capability to protect themselves, but once they're a bit older, say 5 or 6 years, they need to be taught how to avoid these things, not just given a helmet and no supervision.
Perhaps you've heard of the Darwin Awards. A few of humanities best and brightest.
Thinning the herd is an important part of the process of natural selection.
The weakest of the species is eliminated, making the species as a whole more hardy and better equiped to survive.
With the 'lesser' animals, the slowest, which is most likely the oldest or sickest is the first to succumb to predators, making the pack more likely to survive.
More food is available when there are fewer individuals.
As I said, no one wants to die, but that's just the way it goes.
Assisted suicide and 'pulling the plug' are quite contraversial issues.
Where is the line drawn?
Who has the right to draw it?
Only you have the right to draw the line for yourself.
By the same token, you don't have the right to draw it for anyone else.
Personally, I've done some thinking and come to my own line.
I think medicine overall is a good thing.
Easing pain and curing diseases is a noble profession, and not everyone can do it.
It's interesting, but can be difficult, thinking about your own mortality.
Asking yourself 'What if?' and 'Where is my line?'.
I've found my line.
Life happens. So does death.
Yeah, I'll go see the Doc about that broken leg, my vision, a cut, some ill feelings, but the majors, cancer, HIV, things like that, sorry, I'm not going.
I try to take care of myself, at least the basics. I'm not eating fast food three times a day, but I'm no health nut either. I get some exercise, but I'm not out there 8 days a week.
When it's my time, it's my time and I'm not going to change it.
I'm pretty sure that I'll never end up as a Darwin Award recipient (though you never know) so I'm guessing I've got a fair bit 'o time left on this mass of earth, and hopefully I'll get everything I really wanted done before I go.
But death is part of life.
Coincidently, shortly after I wrote the first draft of this post, Bill Nye had an episode of 'The Eyes of Nye' about the overuse of antibiotics and medicines.
Though I haven't changed anything in that section other than a spelling error or two, I thought I'd throw this in for full disclosure.
Natural selection is a process by which biological populations are altered over time, as a result of the propagation of heritable traits that affect the capacity of individual organisms to survive and reproduce. It is one of several mechanisms that give rise to the evolution of biological species (other mechanisms include genetic drift and gene flow.) However, natural selection has a special significance because it is believed to be the one responsible for organisms being adapted to their environment. The theory of natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858, though vaguer and more obscure formulations had been arrived at by earlier workers.
Whether you are a believer in God, or any other higher power, or not, natural selection exists.
One could argue that a deity of some type makes choices about which species thrives or dies, but there is no proof that any such deity exists.
The Bible isn't proof of anything in particular happened one way or another. It could be entirely fiction or not.
It does have a lot of good stories, suggestions on how to treat others, and the like, and these are a worthwhile ideal to base your life on, but whether God exists or not isn't proven.
That's what faith is about.
Believing in something.
Let's take what we can prove.
Over time, organisms change and adapt to conditions in their habitat.
Changing color to blend in better, developing a defense mechanism, growing bigger or smaller, and many other things.
Humans don't so much adapt to suit the habitat as adapt the habitat to suit humans.
Humans have adapted the environment quite a bit, which affects all the other organisms on the planet.
Most notable are pollution and building.
Building takes away habitat from the other species.
Pollution affects the environment species live in several ways. Changing the balance of chemicals in the water and food supply most notably.
A few months ago, there was a show on PBS about changes in the water chemistry from various sources (mostly factories and farming runoff) and the testing of those chemicals for 'safe levels'.
What they found was that even though each individual chemical level was 'safe', they were combining to create new, unsafe water conditions which were harming the species living in those waters.
Some species, and I would guess given enough time, all species, can adapt to these changes.
Most have happened quickly though, not allowing species time to adapt, and causing some species to become extinct.
Extinction is part of the process of natural selection. Some species, or enough members of a species, can not adapt enough to survive and they die off.
While this is sad, it is part of the process.
Eventually, humanity will probably suffer the same fate.
Overpopulation is a problem humanity faces.
Too many people living in too small of a space, or, not enough food to feed everyone.
As time passes, medicines have increased the life expectancy of humans.
Other things are factors too, better nourishment from food is also a major contributer.
Exercise, better understanding of how the body functions, etc. have all extended the life expectancy of humans.
This is certainly a noble endeavor, but is it good for us?
Is it good for Earth and the other species living on it?
No one wants to die, nor have any of their friend and family die.
You certainly can't blame them for that.
I don't want any of my friends or family to die, but it's a part of life.
As soon as you're born, you're dying.
Or
Your age is only how long you've been dying.
By living longer, we are stressing the Earth by taking up space and resources.
Nature decides when we die, but we are continually circumventing the process.
Many diseases have either cures or vaccinations to prevent them.
But this is exactly why we have natural selection, to make sure that the strongest of the species survives, thus making it stronger as a whole and less likely to become extinct.
When I was born (1975), there weren't really any antibacterial soaps in general circulation.
Kids played with whatever was around, bugs, sticks, our toys, others' toys, mud, and who knows what else, and were exposed to many germs and bacteria.
This allows a better immune system to develop and fight off infections easier, which is a good thing.
Now, antibacterial soaps are everywhere, and everyone is encouraged to wash frequently to avoid germs and infections.
If you are not exposed to these viral oraganisms, you can't develop a good immune system.
I'm not saying we should get rid of vaccinations or antibacterial soaps, we just need to be careful of how we treat infections and disease
Safety equipment is another place I think we've gone too far.
Don't get me wrong, it's sad that some kids will die from being hit by a car, poking a coat hanger into an outlet, ingesting something poisonous, or whatever, but it's part of the process called 'thinning the herd'.
I understand in the cases of the very young that they don't have the capability to protect themselves, but once they're a bit older, say 5 or 6 years, they need to be taught how to avoid these things, not just given a helmet and no supervision.
Perhaps you've heard of the Darwin Awards. A few of humanities best and brightest.
Thinning the herd is an important part of the process of natural selection.
The weakest of the species is eliminated, making the species as a whole more hardy and better equiped to survive.
With the 'lesser' animals, the slowest, which is most likely the oldest or sickest is the first to succumb to predators, making the pack more likely to survive.
More food is available when there are fewer individuals.
As I said, no one wants to die, but that's just the way it goes.
Assisted suicide and 'pulling the plug' are quite contraversial issues.
Where is the line drawn?
Who has the right to draw it?
Only you have the right to draw the line for yourself.
By the same token, you don't have the right to draw it for anyone else.
Personally, I've done some thinking and come to my own line.
I think medicine overall is a good thing.
Easing pain and curing diseases is a noble profession, and not everyone can do it.
It's interesting, but can be difficult, thinking about your own mortality.
Asking yourself 'What if?' and 'Where is my line?'.
I've found my line.
Life happens. So does death.
Yeah, I'll go see the Doc about that broken leg, my vision, a cut, some ill feelings, but the majors, cancer, HIV, things like that, sorry, I'm not going.
I try to take care of myself, at least the basics. I'm not eating fast food three times a day, but I'm no health nut either. I get some exercise, but I'm not out there 8 days a week.
When it's my time, it's my time and I'm not going to change it.
I'm pretty sure that I'll never end up as a Darwin Award recipient (though you never know) so I'm guessing I've got a fair bit 'o time left on this mass of earth, and hopefully I'll get everything I really wanted done before I go.
But death is part of life.
Coincidently, shortly after I wrote the first draft of this post, Bill Nye had an episode of 'The Eyes of Nye' about the overuse of antibiotics and medicines.
Though I haven't changed anything in that section other than a spelling error or two, I thought I'd throw this in for full disclosure.
posted by urbnsol at 9:54 PM
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