In this blog post, we will examine the phenomenon of human society deviating from natural selection, the basic mechanism of evolution, and explore whether competition and adaptation in modern society can still be considered part of evolution.
The concept of evolution is not unfamiliar to us. Most people now believe that humanity was born through a long process of evolution. Darwin’s theory of evolution has been the subject of scientific and social debate for a long time and has become one of the most widely accepted theories explaining the origin of humankind. According to this theory, living organisms have evolved through natural selection by adapting to their ever-changing environment. However, at some point, humans broke free from the grip of nature that had enabled evolution. Humankind is no longer subject to the struggle for survival in nature. Humans live safely in society, occasionally reaching out to save endangered species or ruthlessly destroying the habitats of other creatures.
The important thing here is that, regardless of the origins of humanity, humans have now become a slightly different species. We are now capable of manipulating nature to such an extent that we can stand up to its enormous power. The technological advances achieved by humans since the Industrial Revolution have provided us with the ability to control and even change the forces of nature. Today, humans are developing ways to deal with natural disasters and are even accelerating the evolution of living organisms through genetic engineering. However, some still argue that humans are part of nature.
The expression “part of nature” implies that we cannot escape the influence of other members of nature. Or we can think that we are governed by the laws of nature. Here, we will discuss evolution, one of the laws of nature, and whether humanity is still governed by natural selection, the basic mechanism of evolution. What answer did Richard Dawkins, author of “The Selfish Gene,” give to this question?
The author says that, as a product of evolution, just as herbivorous animals gradually developed long legs to run faster, human consciousness arose with the development of the brain. Consciousness is a product of evolution, but at the same time, it is a force that can go against evolution, according to the author. This means that by knowing who we are, humans have gained the ability to refuse to behave as our genes have programmed us to do. For Richard Dawkins, rejecting evolution means rejecting the instincts programmed by our genes. The most appropriate example of this is martyrdom. Only humans on Earth are capable of giving up the instinctive pursuit of survival for the sake of spiritual values and beliefs.
Humans are clearly different from other animals because of their unique intelligence. Humans created societies and isolated themselves from other species. However, this does not mean that competition for survival has disappeared within human society. Rather, humans have created a monetary system that converts all the resources necessary for eating, finding shelter, and forming families into money. Furthermore, they have developed an excessive competitive system called capitalism, which inevitably creates situations where there must be losers. In addition, not all members of human society have children, and in fact, many people choose not to have children.
The society created by humans provides an interesting case study from an evolutionary perspective. With the development of human society, natural selection seems to have disappeared, but in fact, its mechanism has become more complex and sophisticated. Social status, economic success, and educational level are important factors that determine “survival” and “adaptation” in modern society. This has created a different form of evolutionary pressure from the selection based on physical strength and characteristics in the past.
Therefore, to borrow a term from Richard Dawkins, the society created by humans is a group dominated by a strategy created by highly intelligent individuals who appeared one day in a space where everyone else had only been able to adopt short-sighted strategies, and where the overall intelligence of the population was low. Within this special group, as in other parts of nature, exclusivity and selfishness are preserved, and a kind of natural selection takes place through competition for adaptation and elimination. However, what distinguishes humans from other species is the value they have created to distinguish themselves from other species: human dignity. Based on this human dignity, humans can survive within human society even if they are eliminated in the competition for survival, and humans are prohibited from killing each other.
Therefore, the society created by humans can be seen as a kind of natural world with rules. Some may argue that because there is competition within human society, it is an exaggeration to view human society as part of the natural world. This is because humans do not merely seek survival and reproduction, but also pursue a mentally satisfying life. However, can humans live while ignoring their physical needs? As beings with physical bodies, humans are creatures that live by their instincts before pursuing spiritual values. That is why restaurants and toilets are essential in human societies, and even in the 21st century, most people must work to earn a living. People seek good homes, good food, and good spouses, but resources are limited, so they must work harder, or engage in so-called survival activities, to obtain them.
In summary, human society is part of nature. It is unfortunate that even though humans have intelligence that distinguishes them from other animals, human society cannot be completely separated from the natural world. One day, when humans are finally freed from the struggle to eat and survive, that will be the first moment when human intelligence fulfills its role. However, until then, we must acknowledge the fact that we still live under the laws of nature.
