ive always had this theory, tell me what you think...

OK, if we keep advancing technology to suit our needs and whims, will we eventually cancel out evolution?

I know that advancing technology is what were supposed to do, so-to-speak, but if technology is fulfilling our every need, we will never need to evolve, unless something major happens and the mass of the world is affected...

also...

say that an animal was born with an unnecessary abnormality, can this trait be passed on to its offspring? if so, is that still considered evolution, since we evolve to suit our environment, not flukes?

Thanks!

To answer your second question first:

Evolution is not a conscious process, it doesn't set about to improve a species so the abnormallity will possibly be passed on. If it offers no advantage then it may or may not survive as a trait of that species. If it offers a disadvantage natural selection will ensure that it does not survive.

If the abnormality is too great, too unusual the animal may be rejected and not find a mate. Also if the genetic abnormality is too great then the animal may not be able to produce viable off spring.

As for the first question:

I believe mankind is distorting the process of natural selection. Medicine has allowed people with genetic disorders to reach adulthood and have children where a century ago they would have died. As such we are already altering the process of natural selection, however that doesn't mean we aren't evolving. It means that we are evolving into a species which will become ever more reliant on it's medicines and technology. As I said, evolution is not a conscious process. I won't decide that we don't need to evolve any more and stop. As long as children are concieved by a process using two sets of genes mankind will evolve in one way or another.

as you stated... what about genetically engeneered offspring? we have already created "test tube" babys, and i have heard something about altering genes to produce whatever genetics the "parents" want (blue eyes, blonde hair, ect) what will happen when we crack the genetic code to allow for "natural" blue hair? (jokingly, but serious too) since its just a manipulated gene, it should be passed on as a recessive trait, therefore we should be able to force evolution? i dont know much about this subject, but its been on my mind for a while...

as i see it, evolution takes a LONG time to happen naturally, science is advancing at such a great speed that evolution will never be able to keep up, not that it needs to, thats just the natural order.

Thanks for hearing me out!

Peace!

[EDITED FOR SPELLING]

Genetic manipulation is a possibillity for the future as are cybernetics and even incorperating nano-technology into the human body.

Will these stop evolution by natural selection? Possibly not, but it will bring about a whole new type of evolution. Man will be able to chose his future path and evolution will become a conscious thing, evolution by deliberate selection. It is quite possible that your hypothesis will prove to be correct.

Of course if the technology should fail we would revert to Darwinism and evolution by natural selection.

A primative form of evolution by deliberate selection has, in actual fact, been practiced by mankind for thousands of years. By selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals we have nudged evolution along in a selected direction.

hm, didnt we already ahev a thread on this?

o well,

i think technology IS our evolution.
we may not be evolving physically, but we are getting smarter, and creating new things, our evolution isnt stunted, its simply no longer physical.

i dnt think technology will cancel out evolution percay (is that spelled rite? ive always wanted to say that word lol) rather we will just evolve in a different way, since we dnt have to get up to change the channel and barely have to leave the house to do anything these days, im guessing that people would lose the use of their legs (obviously in millions of years), i think that we should use technology wisely