Natural selection has been about for a billion years, and morals for 10 000. So why do we protect the stupid?

Question

Organic evolution by means of natural selection has been at play for over a billion years. "Moral" behavior and altruism is a much more recent phenomena, dating back perhaps to the Neandertal. Even then, natural selection predominated (as evidenced by the excintion of the Neandertal). Thus, why today do we feel compelled to protect people from themselves when they attempt to cull themselves from our gene pool? Is this stance truly ethical, as from a biological stand point it is not likely to lead to a betterment of our species? Which principle should take precedence, natural selection or moral values, when dealing with individuals who are engaged in suicidal or simply stupid behaviors?

Answer 1

You seem to be asking two questions here.
1) Why protect the stupid?
2) Why indulge "our" moral values to make decisions/laws/social rules, instead of a more hands off approach?

My answer to the first question is simple: "Stupid" people are useful, and they may have more uses then we realize.

There are more elements to a human being than their intelligence alone. From an economic stand point, their labor can be very useful slave masters of the past and human resource managers of the present understand this. From a biological perspective genetic diversity is a VERY good thing that helps an organism to survive hostile environments.

You made reference in your clarification to people making poor, harmful choices. Most intelligent people do this as well, so I'm not so sure how broad your definition of "stupid" people is.

In answer to the second question, mostly we protect stupid people, or making decisions from a moral justification as a form of social control, because it is difficult if not impossible for a "paternal/maternal" instinct to creep into the exercise of power. I think it's largely a psychological mechanism.

Answer 2

Iam with natural selection the whole way. It is better for our species if stupid people die, just joking. Being stupid or acting suicidal isn't genetic. If they want to die then I say let them. If we really want to help our species then stop making medicine to help our sick live longer. An example would be our eyesight. It's getting worse as generations continue on. In the old days with natural selection people with bad eyes would die because they couldn't see to get their food, so the gene for bad eyes couldn't be passed on. Same with everything else about genetic diseases. Only the strong survive but not for humans. We break the rules and that's why our species is not getting better.

Answer 3

Perhaps keeping the genetic diversity of "the stupid" in our gene pool serves our species well. If we evolved to be only "the smart", then down the road there might be circumstances where "the stupid" behavior would be better than "the smart" behavior. If we had no "stupids" around, we could be wiped out as a species.

Answer 4

I am an advocate of not having the stupid and incompetent breed. Unfortunately the government endorses, by its action, the opposite more often than not, AND they also often take the healthiest and best and have them killed in wars, before they even get a chance to reproduce. Keeping the genetically and mentally crippled to have offspring.
In addition, the smartest often don't reproduce, since they feel incompetent to provide for their children in a way they feel they should. A pity.
Altruism, which I think you refer to above, is seen even in animals, and thus is considerably older than 10,000 years
Also morals and ethics are subject to interpretation by individuals, who usually don't have the brains to assess rationally what should be done (or not).

Answer 5

Good question actually. It isn't just the stupid.

Medical science is allowing us to allow some really weak gene sets to live. And yes, that is worry some. Of course the other side of the coin would be someone playing God, and decide who should live or die, based on their own criteria.

Oh, and at this point, the secret service is protecting the stupid...

-Dio

Answer 6

I don't think the first two responders answered the question properly. I assume you were speaking of letting stupid people kill themselves, not engaging in killing people who are deemed "inferior". I think we do it as a species because often stupid behavior affects not only the person engaging in the behavior but also innocent bystanders. Also, it is against human nature to let someone who is in distress suffer.

Answer 7

Inbreeding was tried and failed . Miscarriage is natures way of removing a congenital problem in a fetus. We now have better health care to not allow miscarriage and to put it frank , sometimes when 2 people get together and produce a family their genes just don't match well ! Stupid is as stupid does in this world.

Answer 8

you are talking about evolutionary concepts of Nature.

Christianity does everything to remove themselves as far away from that as possible.
all of their rules and principles contradict Nature.

one man one woman-nature is more relaxed about that
same sex is wrong-happens between all life forms in Nature (fish,mammals ,plants,insects)
animals do not have feelings or a soul-Many would disagree with that ,especially the animals
nakedness is wrong--not need to elaborate on that.
do not kill-in nature killing is part of life
protect the stupid --In nature the stupid are eaten
protect and care for the sick--likewise

their sympathy for Nature being nonexistent because
God created the animals for the Christians to do with what they like ,

they have slaughtered them as well as the indigenous people of Nature as well as having destroyed millions of hectares with expanding populations and aggressive irresponsible agriculture.

if anything this religion has been at continues war with Nature ,so it is no surprise that that part of humanity is not comparable

as far as the Neanderthal was concerned as well as all the others (cro.magnom,homo erectus,etc).you should remember that they all lived at th same time ,and in the same place.
this sounds more like genetic experiments of the Anunaki,
and not an evolving , man as was earlier believed.

they also created the Adams race (,to mine gold for them )by cloning and genetic engineering .those other specimens must have been try outs ,until they got the final product ,Modern man (but with a restricted intelligence)so that they would be manipulable

Answer 9

Natural selection is the law of Nature which is a binding on us where as moral values are created by us only for the sake of creating a better society ,and now we can decide.

Answer 10

Because we think empathy is a good thing.
and that we have come closer to understanding why these people are stupid, and we feel guilty about it.
but i agree with you. its natural selection baby.
the sick, the weak, the old, the stupid people all should die off.
Truly in nature, They would. and there if a reason for that.= to better the species as a whole. we just need to get over ourselves