Are feral children a case for evolution?

Question

basically on the rare case where a child is left in a jungle at a young age and deprived of human affection. they will often find community with animals. and will take on the traits and actions of these animals. sometimes even being able to communicate with them on some level. this even happened in Russia with a Girl that lived on a farm and was left to live in the dog pens.

the long term effects are a decreased ability to learn and most times an inability to speak.

this would suggest that we are products of enviroment. and that deprived of human contact and what society accepts as moral and right the human will revert to being an animal. furthermore will associate oneself with the nearest friendly animal.

is this a case for evolution of for the gods?

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once adapted to this type of life, why is it near to impossible to re-adapt back to human life?

Answer 1

Not that I have a problem with evolution, but I think it's just a testament to the adaptive power of human beings (although, simultaneously, it proves the theory of 'sensitive periods' of development)
Just think, if my own people come back to this galaxy to fetch me, I'll be too old to learn their ways.
*sigh*
Oh well, you folks are nice in your way!

Answer 2

No, evolution deals with heritable qualities. If such "feral" children had kids that were raised in normal human culture they would be normal children.

What this does demonstrate is that human capacities are not merely inherited, but that inheritance requires an environment to develop. Nearly all people inherit a capacity for language, but that will only be fulfilled if the child is immersed in a cuture of language.

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[Extra] the reason such "feral" children don't adapt back is that human brains develop over many years, and in a particular sequence of neural interconnections and later pruning of those connections. If the language software is not installed at the critical time in brain development, then the hardware becomes unable to accept it.

Answer 3

Feral (wild) children are a matter of environment. Saying it is a case of evolution of/for gods is comparing apples and oranges. Why do so many people make such inane comparisons in philosophy and religion? You recognized that environment was a key factor with feral children and that they lost the ability to learn, talk and communicate with humans. Have you seen the program on TV re such children? Can't remember the name of it. Actually, feral children are a reverse example of the way children should be raised.

Answer 4

I don't think feral children have anything to do with evolution, the theory deals with our development over generations, not one incident of going feral. Whether religion or science our creation is what it is and these children don't change that.
The more interesting question is our concept of ourselves as people. Are those who can't communicate with words (spoken and written) less than human and more animal? Are they deprived in some way that makes them less intelligent?
Resoundingly the response would be no they are still human.

Answer 5

I really believe it is either a case of child endangerment and abuse, or a terrible accident.

The child in Russia was abused. This is one of those "experiments" that NEVER should have been conducted. Mengele would have been proud, if the monster was alive today.

I would not call the child's suppressed "human" behaviour a "reversion". Far from it. It is an adaptation to her environment, and a strong testimony to the human will to survive. Humans will either learn to adapt, or die. That she adapted in such a manner is miraculous, that she HAD to is criminal.

Answer 6

That's interesting. I don't think it has anyything to do with God. I think like the other guy said, we evolve with the push of some life force behind us, God, the divine. I don't think your asking the right question...maybe feral children are a case for human interaction and its importance in normal functioning. I don't think it has much to do with evolution.

Answer 7

Humans have a lot of RAM but very little ROM. We're pretty intelligent, but pretty much everything we know needs to be learned. If not taught language at an early age- those portions of the brain fail to develop and it's very difficult to learn it later in life.

So- we evolved to require parenting and guidance early in our life.

Answer 8

Adaptation on that scale is due to the Higher functioning of the Human brain. Humans are well skilled to adapt to changing environments, that is why they succeed.

Answer 9

Without human contact, a human will become mentally ill, which was the case with the girl. It has nothing to do with evolution, but it proves that God created us to be social beings. "No man is an island unto himself."

Answer 10

those babies have been stated with animals, so like each and every babies they are going to replica and learn from different animals. That it how we discover ways to stroll and talk - we replica from different human beings. it is not any longer something interior us. we are no longer born walking and speaking, in spite of the reality that our bodies are properly tailored to enable us to do those issues. As for the emotion section, thoughts are purely hormones. in spite of the reality that we can wisely outline between multiple thoughts - excited, terrified, dissatisfied - i think that we've been as quickly as lots extra uncomplicated than that. Our extra primitive instincts have been concern and lust. those babies even with the undeniable fact that heavily isn't waiting to % out with our extra complicated thoughts as they have not been stated in the comparable society as us. I even have heard approximately those babies from the television and that's as shame that they can't in superb condition into our society. i think it helps us to grasp that the 1st few years of youngsters are needed for our progression. I consider you that humanity is a subculture. i think of evolution helped us to advance so as that we can in superb condition into our subculture in a manner. you're saying the 1st actual ancestors, yet how some distance decrease back do you recommend? To a novel celled organism? that's considered one of those sluggish technique which mirrors how we steadily substitute. learn our lives now to our lives fifty years in the past and word the version? Then think of what a brilliant difference there would be over hundreds of thousands of years. Evolution is all approximately how animal % to apply what they could in superb condition into their inhabitants.