Darwinism

I'm sure we're all aware of the principle. Survival of the fittest and such what. I was thinking today about it and wondered how it actually applies to humans. The basic idea behind the theory is that the best adapted animal is the one that has the most success of breeding and therefore passing on the most successful genes.

Now we come to why humans have been so successful at breeding. It's because we shape the environment to suit us. Especially in todays age. Other animals do it to a degree but nowhere near as successfully as humans. Which leaves the question, what type of genes are being passed on in modern humans and what does it mean?

I'm leaving that answer to hindsight. I could speculate but I choose not to.

Another interesting question. If humans are no longer shaped by their environment what are they shaped by? Society? And does that give society a right then to mold humans to their ideal, a kind of fast-paced technological darwinism? As long as society says no, it obviously will be held in check. But for how long after useful meddling (stem cell manipulation to create new organse (btw, I disagree with foetal stem cells and go yay! with adult stem cells) for one example) do we get to what we would consider non-useful meddling? And would only the old generation (us) consider it that? I'd personally find the idea of a built in mobile in my ear or something quite a useful invention. Others would find it horrifying.

Which begs the question, what is the next generation going to be like? I've been told (and noticed) that what I like to consider my generation is fairly staid and conservative in their thinking. Will it just continue on in a sine curve kind of way and 1.5 generations later we'll hit a hippy phase again?

These are all very good reasons why I want to be alive to see it all unfold. It's going to be an interesting 50 years, that's for sure.

And if anybody out there considers nuclear energy a good alternative to fossil fuels, I will be forced to be very cross with you.