From: O'Regan, Emlyn (Emlyn.ORegan@actew.com.au)
Date: Thu Sep 02 1999 - 23:39:45 MDT
> > At 12:35 PM 9/2/1999 -0400, you wrote: ... Joe Z Tsien
> > >of Princeton University has used genetic engineering to create a mouse
> with
> > >greater intelligence than any found on Earth...
> >
> > Philip Witham wrote: ...How could it be that nature didn't select for
> this? So simple, so apparently effective, there must be a down side, like
> - the brilliant mouse decides that having children would pinch her
> lifestyle. Mutation disappears from gene
> > pool....
>
> Exactly! Evidently most ecological niches offer little or no reproductive
> advantage to higher intelligence, so the species in those niches get no
> smarter.
> My contention is that humankind has created an ecological niche which
> not only offers no reproductive advantage to higher intelligence, there is
> in fact
> a *very large* reproductive advantage to stupidity and irresponsibility.
> spike
>
Actually, I don't think this is correct; I was reading somewhere (my
trademark accuracy again) that intelligence (+education?) is increasingly
important, at least in the west, as a determinant of success. The world's
getting more complicated.
That's my excuse, anyhow.
Emlyn
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