CopyRight @ 1997
Back to Introduction and Index
note: this is far from complete...
The ideal way to describe the ecology of any specie is to
present an examination of their energetics and reproduction.
Really, that is how a specie is defined in a ecological terms.
Because of the intent of this book is to discuss how to create a
stable ecology, the last chapter was a view of energetics. It was
a bit brief so as to set the stage for discussion of much more
complex aspects of human ecology. Now, this is to provide a
discussion of reproduction. It turns out that human reproductive
behavior is so complex and intertwined with community social
behaviors that only a small part of human reproductive
characteristics will be discussed in this chapter and most
discussion of reproductive behaviors will be in the next chapter
about Beliefs and Behaviors.
For most species, reproduction does not have a major
behavioral component. In most animals, there is some reproductive
behavior that is related to masculine competition and courtship
of the female, but little else. Usually, the offspring are raised
by the female with little assistance from the male. Social behavior
tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Humans have
an extended developmental period corresponding to the development
of the brain. This long developmental period relates to human
social potentials and basic human survival strategies. This makes
human reproductive behavior incredibly complex and inherently
linked as part of the social behavior that is related to human
cooperative survival strategies.
What that all says is that human reproductive behavior is so
intertwined with social behaviors that are much more complex,
that most reproductive behavior is related to social behaviors and
so is best considered as part of the chapter on Beliefs and
Behaviors.
1 Mammalian reprooduction strategies (male, female)
2 human reproduction
3 monogamy
4 inclusive fitness...nepotism
5 marriage - moieties
6 family/community
7 reproductive aggressiveness
8 altruism
9 wealth
11 genetic wealth
12 status
13 jealousy
14 leisure
Reproduction
Energetics is the basis of ecology. Reproduction is how
energetics are used. Since the time of Darwin, biology has been
based on survival by inheritable traits. At the molecular level
it appears that we are simply vehicles and vesicles for our
genes.
Sexual reproduction occurs to facilitate genetic
recombination and variability. This is to allow adaptation to a
randomly changing environment or perhaps, as Robert Trivers says,
cyclically changing environmental effects relating to
interspecial competition (disease).
Asexual reproduction apparently does not promote enough
genetic variability to adequately respond to the changing
environment.
The situation is analogous for RNA and DNA. DNA allows for
more variability than RNA and so is the usual genetic material. A
trinary base system is apparently unnecessary and so never
appeared in evolution. In all species of biological organisms,
maximum reproductive success is the evolutionary purpose for any
generation of the specie. Evolution proceeds by differential
reproductive success.
Mammalian Reproductive Strategies
The primary difference between mammalian males and females
is reproductive potential. A male can impregnate a female and
then leave. The female is committed to a long and demanding
investment. Typically, a male can have very many children due to
the low investment, whereas a female always has a much greater
investment and consequently fewer children. The male strategy is
oriented towards quantity and the female towards quality. Both
males and females have strategies to promote this. The males
aggressively compete for the females and to impress them. The
females both promote the competition and use information from
the competition for selecting the superior mate. Females of some
species use strategies to get a material investment beyond the
male's genetic investment. Material investment by the male can
come in many forms. It may be a bit of food, nest building or
include extensive postnatal care.
In a specie where both parents contribute to the offsprings
upbringing, consequences of Differential Parental Investment
(DPI) tend to dictate much of parental and family interaction.
The relationship will relate to the relative investment that
each parent has in the raising of the young at any given time.
With external fertilization, as in fish, the male must fertilize
the eggs, allowing the female to leave and forcing the male to
care for eggs. In this case, females compete for males, they
being the limited reproductive resource. In higher mammals,
though, DPI means the consequences of internal fertilization.
Usually the male has very little initial investment and often
none from then on. The results of this, as extensively discussed
by E.O. Wilson and others, is that usually the female must raise
the offspring alone. Help by the male in raising the offspring
occurs when it is necessary for some particular reason. Monogamy
occurs in some mammals that do not usually exhibit it, when
conditions are marginal enough to require it.
This leads to the commonest social arrangement of mammals
being high reproductive potential males competing with each other
for the more limited reproductive potential females. At the same
time the females are pursuing the fittest male and using coyness
to promote investment. Elephant seals, horses and wolves are good
examples of this. They show species where the males aggressively
dominate available reproductive resources. It may be the females
themselves that are claimed, such as in the case of horses. It
may be a reproductive territory or nursery like beaches. If some
limited reproductive resource can be dominated, the specie will
probably develop aggressive behaviors in males to compete for it.
In these situations, the males are typically larger than the
females. A condition called sexual dimorphism.
In humans, monogamy is given to mean more that the male
aids in the raising of the young with the mother, rather than
just that it is a single male and female. The word monogamy
means one male and one female in legal terms. In biological
terms, it means the male staying with the mate or mates to
raise the offspring.
In a monogamous situation the male will be under the same
reproductive constraint as the female and so will take on her
"quality" strategies. It also promotes females competing with
females for the "fittest" males.
Humans are higher social mammals with typical mammalian
reproductive physiology. In many ways they have typical
mammmalian reproductive behavior, but in other ways they tend to
be fairly different. Certain factors make humans almost
exclusively monogamous. That fact causes changes in the basic
reproductive strategies.
Male and Female Reproductive Strategies
Coyness is the primary reproductive behavior in females. It
can involve a variety of techniques and strategies. Primarily it
is to be attractive so as to attract the attention of males,
between whom they can then choose to accept for mating. It can
include promoting competition between the prospective mates to
show their relative superiority. Coyness may include behaviors
designed to promote the male to contribute resources to the
female, ultimately to show how the male might provide towards
the raising of children.
Aggressiveness is the primary male reproductive behavior. It
is the active search for and pursuit mates as well as competition
with other males for access to mates. A male will often try to
impress females with their fitness by reproductive displays,
including aggressiveness.
Humans are almost exclusively monogamous. This makes for
some interesting variations on typical mammalian reproductive
strategies and presents a variety of interesting problems. It
causes changes in the criteria used by the females in selecting
mates and it causes males to take on some of the female quality
strategies in response to the limited reproductive potentials it
presents. Since a male in a monogamous situation has a much more
limited potential for children, he will want to pick the fittest
female. Females will be more interested in what the male has to
offer in the way of resources that the male can contribute
towards the raising of the children. Also females may take on
masculine strategies to select and pursue a particular mate.
This is the end of the present discussion about human
reproductive strategies. Due to what seems to be the natural
organizational form of this book, that discussion is continued in
the next chapters in the context of Beliefs and Behaviors. What
seems to follow here is an examination of another issue
pertaining to reproduction - genetics.
SELECTIVE EFFECTS AND GENETIC CHANGE
1. Selection
a. disease
b. load
2. Artificial Selection
a. minus bad
b. plus good
c. hybrid
3. Integral Traits
a. Implications - how to choose
4. Consequence of Artificial Selection
a. Castes or Hybrids
b. Cars
c. Hybrid and Specialization
d. Models of old and new traits and their significance
5. Discussion
a. Altruism
6. Functional Model of Hybrid Humans and Human Specie
1. Selection on humans.
Tribal humans were subject to a variety of selective
effects. Disease, starvation, exposure and predation all took
their toll. These effects worked differently at different times
and places. This did not change much for the neolithic hunters.
Less would fall to predators and more would die in hunting
accidents. Often, selection just passed over the lucky. Still,
adaptation to natural selective effects is the task of the
specie.
This section is about what is referred to as the second
category of changes in human existence. It is about our genetic
nature and how it changes. The time frames are of the tribes, the
cities and the future. In the tribes we evolved separately. In the
cities we mixed some, but still evolved separately, under the
influence of great pressures and vast new opportunities. In the
future, the tribe will be expanded by the true union of the old
tribes, into a more homogeneous specie with very diverse
individuals that look at the specie as their tribe. Again, both
selection and opportunity will be great. There will be new
selective effects. To many people, the question of our genetic
health and ability, especially in the future, is a very immediate
question. These are questions that have already been asked. In
the long run, genetic potentials will determine much of the rest
of our social future.
1a. Removal of disease and other selective agents.
Much of what is called human progress has been the removal
of starvation, disease and exposure. Humans tend to remove or
overcome dangers. Science has given us powerful tools to use to
do this. So many changes are important, but the consequences of
the removal of disease and other selective effects to a lesser
degree, is so overwhelming that all further discussion of human
ecology must be put in that context. This is because of all the
changes that we experience, the most important ones are those
that effect our genetics. That is potentially even more important
than specific elements of resource strategies.
Without the removal of disease, the present population boom,
started by increased food supply, would not have continued nearly
as long as it has. Large population centers, such as are common
at present, would not be able to exist. In areas dominated by
disease, a response of high birth rate can be observed.
Biologically it must be regarded that premature death by
disease wastes the resource investment it took to raise the
individual. That must include the physical strain of pregnancy.
Even if an individual survives a disease, there are often
lingering effects. A disease may damage sensory and physiological
functions as well as effecting a persons psychology or
appearance. All of these could impair an individuals reproductive
success. The resource and human cost of any disease can be very
high.
The prevalence of disease resulted in selection for
improvement of the immune system (and the bugs). Depending on the
disease and its effect, it requires different things for
survival. Immunity may be complete or partial. To survive a
disease takes an integration and fitness of body and mind in the
organism. Death by disease is caused by the failure of a
necessary body system and the subsequent failure of the rest of
the organism. Usually it is either excessive temperature or
toxins from the disease, that cause respiratory failure. *Diseases
with a limited mortality rate act on any weak link in the body
physiology or integration. Only disease and cold have general
effects anything quite like this. They catch biochemical,
developmental and various other weak links in physiology. They can
even act on lack of psychological integration or strength.
1b. Genetic load from removal of selective effects.
In the absence of disease, cold or other selective agents,
a problem with genetic load occurs. Most mutations are not
improvements. Since they are primarily random, they usually
reduce the function of the gene where they occur. With lowered
selective pressures, the frequency of malfunctioning genes is
likely to increase, expressed as psychological, biochemical and
morphological errors of varying significance. In the absence of
the selective effects that promote evolution, something the
relative opposite, will occur.
The rate of natural mutation is low enough that it would
probably take some time to create a significantly high frequency
of ineffective genes, but there are agents other than natural
mutation, that change genetic sequences. Chemicals, radiation,
drugs and other mutogens exist that could promote a genetic load.
Potentially more important is the effect of recombination at
meiosis, when the reproductive gametes are developing. Its effect
can be to break genetic sequences such as to leave genomes
damaged or inoperative.
It took a long time and a lot of selection (that is pain and
premature death) to reach this point in evolution. This point in
evolution is the total pool of genes of the human race. An
accumulated load of defective or ineffective genomes would be
disastrous for the human race. Different portions of the of the
total chromosomal DNA would be more susceptible to breakage. Some
traits would be more likely to be effected than others. There are
cellular mechanisms to repair damaged DNA, yet there is still an
indeterminate rate of deterioration. More complex and the more
recently evolved traits would be more susceptible to damaging
effects than older elements of the total genome. The
psychological traits that have brought us to the potentials of
technology are the traits that have most recently evolved and are
likely to be the first to deteriorate in the absence of selective
effects.
# move to techniques
The greater the genetic diversity of a specie, the larger
the unit of inheritance upon which selection acts. Cheetahs are
notable in that they are extremely genetically related, as a
specie. There is little genetic variation between individuals.
Selection is going to have to operate on relatively small
variations in their genetics. In a specie that is as diverse as
humans, selection will be operating on bigger variations.
This is why this examination of human genetics focuses on traits
and recombination. Actually the same examination will have to be
made at the level of alleles and individual mutations, but the
hazards of genetic load at that level will take longer to
develop. Hopefully, human wisdom will have grown a good deal by
then.
###### Insert library model here and limitation of domain of
effect. Define purpose as cure for a problem, hybrid
is just a bonus.
This is a special place in this book. Here is where the book
changes. It should be noted as such.
Genetics comprises information. They contain all of the
blueprints and plans for making the organism. There it is an
enormous amount of information involved. The entire genome could
be considered to be like a library. A library contains shelves
with books on them that contain words that are arranged in
particular grammatical forms. An organisms genome contains
chromosomes with traits and individual genes. The genes could be
compared to the words in the books. Traits would be compared to
the books on the shelves, the shelves would be compared to the
chromosomes and the entire genome would be compared to the library.
It was said earlier that this book is to look at the variation
between individuals. The most significant variations in humans
are differences in traits related to tribal differences.
Examination of this level of variation suggests that humans are
susceptible to a type of genetic load that operates at the level
above the allele. Humans are still effected by genetic load at
the level of the allele, but this book is primarily to discuss
what happens at the level of the trait.
So, in the model of a library, the trait would be analogous
to the books in the library. This does not suggest looking at
words in the library. It suggests looking at what books are
actually present in the library and the condition of these books.
This is to look to see if recombination has lost or damaged a book.
Already some conditions at the level of the chromosomes can
be examined, such as when there is an extra chromosome present as
in Downs Syndrome. That would be as if there was an extra aisle
in the library. Also some conditions can be detected where the
problem is created by a single change in gene sequence. Sickle
Cell Anemia is a good example of this. That is as if a word or
an instruction in a book was changed to where the trait operates
differently or fails to operate. This book is to consider a
condition where a trait or book is missing or visibly damaged
by recombination. Its turns out that many of these same rules and
considerations will also apply to the level of the allele, but
discussions about that level is generally avoided here to focus on
the level of the trait.
It must be understood that what this most importantly
leads to is about problems associated with traits at the time of
reproduction. The discussion about possible solutions to this
problem leads directly to new potentials. In that human
variation at the level of the trait is based upon tribal
variation, it would be expected that changes effecting the traits
would influence behaviors related to our present tribal nature.
That is why the second part of this book talks about our tribal
nature and the associated survival systems that we have developed
over time, referred to here as moral systems. While the first
intent of this book is to discuss problems associated with
genetic load at the level of the trait, the primary intent of
the book becomes discussion of the positive potentials offered
by the knowledge of these traits.
######
2. Artificial selection.
A selective effect will be introduced or reintroduced. It
would be better if humans carefully introduced a better method of
selection than nature utilizes. We cannot allow disease and other
ancestral selective effects to do their selective work, because
the cost of raising and educating a child in a technical society
is too high to allow it to be lost. There is always a seemingly
unacceptably high human cost as well. Artificial selection could
be used to increase the frequency of advantageous genes without
endangering the moral basis of the society. It offers amazing
potentials.
For any specie, the winter is the usually hardest time of
year. Spring and summer are not as much a challenge of survival
against nature. At that time, living is easy and comfortable. A
specie is adapted to the extremes of its environment. When not
in these extreme conditions, it is fairly comfortable and not
stressed. Humans are that way. Not only must we produce social
institutions that can create a comfortable culture to live in,
but we can also insure that individuals have the potential to be
comfortable. Some animals are under conditions such that any
weakness is usually fatal. Bats and porpoises are good examples
of this. Yet under normal conditions the porpoise is leading a
very unstressed life, as do most animals when their needs can be
easily met. This is what humans can be. Our genetics can make the
world a much more comfortable place by allowing people to be
better adapted to their world.
The classical diseases, like famine, will be ecological
indicators that a point of relative overpopulation has been
passed.
Of all of the elements and effects that collectively
represent this massive transition in human ecology, the
determinate factor is our energy and resource utilization
strategy, but the factor that will have the most meaning is the
start of humans using human techniques as our most significant
selective effect. end 2
An individual may choose not to use artificial selection for
their children. It does not really matter. The next generations may
choose to use it or the "family" will use it when it is obvious that
their genes need some cleaning up or the family may just die off.
Use or not of artificial selection would be a personal decision.
Artificial selection may be directed so that the offspring can fill
the same niche as the parent.
Upon that premise.. much can be built. The rest of this book
is written in that context, because there seems to be no
alternative. Luckily this actually presents relatively simple
technical or moral problems, because there are few problems
presented by the removal of such genetic failings as heart
defects, diabetes, depression, cancers, homosexuality, dementia
or any of so many problems that afflict humans due to genetic
failings. To a healthy intelligent person, this does not always
seem so pertinent, but a person with one of these problems would
do almost anything to prevent its inheritance.
Porpoises do not just get by in their world, they are so
comfortable and adapted to it, that they frolic in it. Rouseau
said that most men live lives of quiet desperation. This would
not be the case if we were in an environment that we were truly
adapted to. We must adapt the environment, but we must adapt as
well. Present human potentials offer the possibility for beauty,
intelligence and both physical and mental health. Realistically,
if this is to offer a description of human existence in a
biological time frame, it is in a context with little physical or
mental disease or health problem. Natural health and vitality
can be the norm for people in the future. This presents the
potential for ending many persistent social ills.
There are some technical problems attendant to artificial
selection. It will be extremely hard to use genetic analysis, but
it may be largely unnecessary. When children are desired, a women
could be induced to artificially produce a large quantity of eggs
which would all be fertilized by her mate. Banding patterns,
using dyes to show chromosomal characteristics, would be used to
determine the traits of the parents. The banding patterns could
be studied in the cells of the fertilized eggs when they started
sloughing cells at the gastrula stage. Traits grossly altered by
major mutation or, more commonly, by recombination, could be
selected against. Inherited genetic deficiencies would be
selected against. Then the eggs with the best combination of the
traits of both parents, could be implanted in the woman.
Artificial wombs present moral and technical problems to be
discussed elsewhere.
If you are healthy or intelligent or have beauty, what would
you do to insure that your child inherited it? What do you
respect the most about yourself or about your mate? There is no
guarantee that your child will inherit those traits. Artificial
selection will be able to make sure that your child inherits the
best potentials of both parents.
# Artificial selection basically does not present moral
problems, mostly for three reasons. First, it is more likely to
strengthen the family and other important social forms than to
weaken them. Secondly, due to the nature of evolution being
mostly additive, there is largely no such thing as a bad gene.
There are broken or ineffective genes and some less desirable
forms of a trait (such as susceptibility to cancer or functional
breakdown), but there is almost no such thing as a bad trait.
Sickle-cell is a case where a gene is valuable in one
environment, yet hazardous in another. There also will be some
traits where hybridization will be undesirable and some forms of
traits that will not hybridize well. The mixing of races may well
be the cause of many orthodontic problems. Still it has been the
mixing of peoples that has produced most of recent human
progress. The most important forms of hybridization will be
related to psychological potentials. The third reason may be the
most significant. This form of artificial selection can serve
everyone. If you tell any one group that they can not have
children because of genetic weakness or some other reason, you
tend to endanger the moral basis of both groups.
###############
###### Insert library model here and limitation of domain of
effect. Define purpose as cure for a problem, hybrid
is just a bonus.
Artificial selection should be considered in three contexts.
These are the removal of bad genes, the promotion of good genes
and the promotion of hybridization.
2a. Removal of undesirable traits.
Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, schizophrenia, Parkinsons
disease, Alzhiemers disease. Not a pretty thought. While many of
these diseases have environmental components, most diseases are
based on genetic inclinations. If you are a healthy person, you
don't give them a great deal of thought. It is different if you
suffer from one of the many health problems that humanity is
subject to. Some of the genetic traits that cause these things
are defects in normal traits and some are normal traits that
fail with environmental effects or just age. To select against
these traits is actually to select for more desirable traits. To
select against traits that are broken or defective presents no
real moral issues. To select against traits that fail with age,
may be another matter. Though sickle cell disease is a horrible
killer, it is an advantage in areas with a high malaria rate. It
can protect the individual against malaria. Situations like this
are going to be rare. Most traits that lead to weakness are just
that, weaknesses. Still, any time one selects for one trait over
another, the implications must be fully considered.
2b. Promotion of desirable traits.
The next obvious potential is to increase the frequency of
the selectively advantageous traits. That means to increase the
frequency of health, beauty and brains. Not only does this open
the can of worms, but to put it in perspective, it is analogous
to what Karl Marx discussed. Instead of being about economic
equality though, this offers potentials of genetic equality.
Generally I must feel sorry for the sick, the stupid or in this
world, the plain or ugly. (I'm just dull and confused). Even
aside from the problems of genetic load, a person should not have
to deal with genetic weaknesses all their life. It would also be
good for the society. With a little extrapolation this could lead
to an interesting view of society. That is the next chapter.
As is true in other situations, the potential results of
artificial selection on psychological traits will have to be
carefully considered. It would never be wise to blindly push
selection for height. At some point the basic body design fails
because it was not evolved for extreme height. Other systems have
to adapt as well, to support the height. More to the point, what
would excessive height serve. This would likely be true of
aggressiveness as well as other behaviors, perhaps including
intelligence. It seems likely that we could promote development
of the tool using aspect of intelligence with little hazard and
great potential. Greatly increasing social intelligence, without
other adaptations, could lead to stress of available social and
moral systems.
Realize, selection for better traits is not always going to
look as might be expected. One of the first things that humans
might need in the way of adaptations, is larger pelvic bones in
women. It doesn't sound so romantic, but rational consideration
of this leads to some subtle considerations. Also, there are
going to be some interesting presumptions made. If a committee of
apes were going to design the next evolutionary model - humans,
would they have optioned for reduced strength? Evolution did.
2c. Promotion of hybridization.
The third consideration of artificial selection relates to
the mixing of the tribes. There are advantages and liabilities to
hybridization, but the advantages will probably be overwhelming
and artificial selection can remove most of the disadvantages. In
the context of humans, the importance of the mixing of the tribes
relates to the future and the stratified society of the past. In
the past, humans have divided themselves up according to
occupational specialization that reflect tribal differences and
potentials. Religion and custom were used to keep them
reproductively separate. This is not a stable situation. There
was always hybridization, due to a variety of factors, including
war, slavery and choice. It must be said, we may stick with a
stratified society in the future, but it is unlikely and probably
quite undesirable. In history, the tribes hybridized. In the
occidental world, this led to the Protestant movement and the
colonization of the Americas. In the future, it can make us into
a new specie that can enter new concepts of ecologies.
In general and in the stratified society, the hybrid has
some disadvantages. Though there is initially great vigor to some
hybrids, in the long run, they do not always work out so well,
due to the integral nature of genes. Artificial selection can
prevent the potential problems of hybrids. This gets into some
weird and variable considerations that operate over multiple
generations. The problem in a stratified society is the question
of where is the place of a hybrid? If the different occupational
castes fulfill the needs of the society, what does the hybrid do?
What is going to be the function of a priest craftsman hybrid or a
peasent scribe? In the stratified society, they will have a
harder time fitting to the available occupational sub-niches than
would a non-hybridized individual. The importance of
occupation/energetic strategy as a selective consideration is
matched by the demands of social abilities. This is to say that
one of the most important factors that humans must successfully
deal with to survive, is other humans. The prevalence of warfare
has made it such that regardless of occupational specialization,
it is good to have an ability for war. The warrior has had such
an advantage for so long that many modern people have the traits
of warriors hybridized in and warfare has maintained this mix.
Another situation where we can see the advantage of hybridization
is in response to the demands of developing technology. It is
easy to understand that a hybrid of a scribe and a craftsman
would be necessary to make a good modern technician.
The real consequence of the hybrid though are the potentials
that cannot be so clearly seen. One potential, to be discussed
elsewhere, is that the personal resolution of the conflicts
created by the hybridization of different psychological traits,
would lead to enhanced self awareness. The other result is that
widespread hybridization of the available traits is what is
going to provide the long term potential for the development of
humans into something qualitatively more than we are now. Really,
this will be necessary for humans to become much more than a
simple animal. That is a mild way of saying that we could become
something that is presently only the dreams of philosophers. It
is not something that can be easily imagined or described with
our present abilities. The next chapter will attempt to give some
consideration of what this might mean. This chapter will continue
to discuss the more directly genetic considerations.
3. Integral traits
Genetic traits are integral. Consider a child of Asian and
Caucasian parentage. Each parent has melanin, a chemical, typical of
their race. The chemical is rather yellowish in the Asians and
relatively brownish in Caucasians. The (F1) hybrid child will produce
both forms of melanin, not a form that is a chemically between the
two. There is little middle ground. Consider the next generation. F2
Recombination. Now the integral ancestral gene may be broken. Will
the gene still be functional? Quite possibly not. It may not have
either complete ancestral sequence and so may not be functional.
(I do not emphasize this in the book, but it was observation of this
that made me curious about the genetics of the whole mess.) This
offers questions about how the genes could possibly compensate for
what should be a relatively common situation. How do traits interact
when two different forms of the trait are hybridized or recombined?
Traits avoid recombination by compactness and interchromosomal protein.
In the hybrid, both traits may be exhibited completely ( skin pigment)
or they may not work together properly ( dental structure,
homosexuality ). Recombined genes may no longer have any function.
The sequence may be nonsense. There is going to be a fair amount of
selection at that level, beyond that any trait must be able to
hybridize with the base races. Characteristic behavioral traits are
as visible as skin coloration. A close look at a persons skin often
reveals more than one color of melanin. A persons genetic traits are
discrete. A persons genome appears granular. Different traits for the
same characteristics are at different loci on the chromosome and so are
not mutually exclusive or completely interdependent. If you look close
enough, you an see the integral parts. This is a discrete level.
>>>>>>>
In reality, any time races hybridize traits that are
different, there will end up being a situation where the traits
of the individual are heterozygous. This means that the traits
at the same loci will be different. This is the problem. In many
cases, especially recently evolved traits and psychological
traits, the homozygous situation produces the most effective
trait. Also the heterozygous situation is likely to lead to the
loss of traits over generations. In older traits there will be
less variation between the tribes, but since behavior is what
evolution has primarily focused on recently, this is where the
greatest variation between tribes lies. This is the genetic
disadvantage of hybridization. So artificial selection must be
used to promote the increase of these traits such that the
hybrid ends up with a homozygous situation for these traits.
It will often take more than one generation by artificial means
and it takes a great deal longer by natural selection.
Actually, this description doesn't really say much, but it should
define one extent of human genetic variation. It is from
observations of mine that are repeatable and predictive. To understand
human genetics, this stuff is absolutely necessary.. I think. My
observational stuff will have to be translated into extensive close
examination of genetic variation along racial lines. Of course this is
based on the mixing of races, but the "genomes" or traits don't mix.
This also says that this level of variation is primarily at the level of
the integral trait, with variation within traits being largely a
different level of selection. So for an analysis of human genetics/
variation, it would not have to be at the nucleotide level.
Banding patterns ( with highly developed techniques using dyes and
multiple frequencies of lasers ) will show variation and genetic damage
at the trait level. Single nucleotide mutations are one thing. Presence
of a trait or gross conformational changes of a trait are another.
This is the level at which my ideas reside.
As for genetic engineering, it is a good place for skepticism.
First are some truly interesting technical problems. Some bacteria
can be induced to utilize genes introduced by phages, but that is a
long way from creating new genes. Until we can produce a synthetic
product to replace leather or rubber, it is unlikely that we will
produce any genes that nature has not done a better job of. It is
true that computers are going to accelerate this process, but we will
then be stuck with other questions that computers are not so good at.
We must learn to utilize the genes that exist before we worry about
creating new ones.
Truthfully, I'm not at all clear what this all implies. I'm also
way too close to the trees, but I've been able to use it as a powerful
analytic tool. It may be an expression that there are more levels of
selection to consider. Darwin's theory covers all levels of selection
by default, but he really only spoke about a few levels and mentioned
sexual selection. Present biology mildly mentions selection at the
genetic level. Wynn Edwards nicely debunks group selection and it may
even be true, but there must be ( if you like thinking about the
thermodynamics of Darwin's idea ) selection at all levels below the
group.
Anyway, I end up with a useful form of physiognomy that allows me
to figure out things that the geneticists are slowly getting too. They
just don't think this way. As a description of how some of these levels
look, here is my best description of what I am looking at.
This is a bad description of some differences in selection level.
END 3. Integral traits
4a. Open Hybridized Society vs Stratified Hybridized Society
One of the basic tenets of this book is description of the
post stratified society based on genetic hybridization of the
tribal components. Remember though, the stratified society can
function and has many useful features. What if the successor of
the tribally based stratified society is a hybrid based
stratified society? To some degree, this is what the class
system, as opposed to the caste system, represents. Castes
represent tribes, classes represent ability (monetary reward).
It could easily be argued to show the benefit of a ruling,
military or even servant class and present genetic knowledge
could be utilized to perpetuate it... in a stable form. This can
suggest many value judgments. In any case this book is written,
for reasons stated, to describe circumstances that will foster a
hybrid based society that will eventually look very different
from the stratified society. It will have to retain the function
of the stratified civil society, yet will have much the
appearance and feel of the tribal society. No matter the form of
the society, this descriptive method should serve to analyze it.
##############################################################
As mentioned, this opens the can of worms in that it demands
some decisions. If we are going to examine the potentials of
artificial genetic selection to make changes instead of just to
compensate for already existing conditions, we first understand
our genetic nature, especially what potentials we have... and our
limitations. The first place to look at is the is at our
paleolithic and neolithic ancestors, then at the more recent, but
very important civil ecology with the occupationally and tribal
based stratified society.
Humans are highly variable generalists, but we operate as
specialists.
4b.CAR MODEL
This book is to describe many complex concepts, old and new,
in ways that will communicate meanings that can be used to
understand the human condition. It is hard enough to usefully
describe familiar concepts, let alone new ones. This book is
difficult enough to write without the limitations imposed by
language. Concepts are given novel and multiple definitions to
communicate a meaning. Meaning is more important than definition.
Study of humans presents situations of complexity such that a
description may be a spectrum of situations and responses or a
description may only be a reference to a (presently)
indeterminate circumstance that can be mutually understood.
These words cannot force understanding upon a person, they are a
tool of understanding or perhaps a reminder. Luckily, human
perception of reality is fairly simple and common, such that we
can communicate quite well. That is why models are useful for
communication.
There are many ways to describe humans and human systems.
Almost all methods use models, simplifications or analogies.
These are tools to promote understanding, but all have their
drawbacks or deficiencies, especially dependent on the failings
of the reader to fully understand the limitations of the model.
One excellent analog to human systems is to compare them to
communication or transportation systems. Another useful way to
describe humans and human habit is from the point of view of
function. This is certainly true for the stratified society and
will serve for describing a post-tribal individual and social
form. Remember though, all of these descriptions have limitations
and can only promote an understanding that is the readers own.
Human society can be likened to a freeway and road system.
We get on and off at different places for different reasons. We
travel at different speeds and in different types of vehicles,
but we are all moving together. There are side routes and
undeveloped back roads. One thing that this model illustrates is
that most of the human race is involved in a very high energy
system.
Individual humans could be compared to the oh so human
automobile. If this is so, be reminded that we are early models.
How about a Ford? Our civil potential to live in higher density
reflects the first assembly line. The tribes that came together
to form the Sumerian people could represent the drive train, the
chassis and the body. The brain would have to be represented by
the drive train, health by the chassis and beauty by the body.
Different races made contributions to one or more parts.
Now two points. By definitions, the Sumerians are a superior
race. They created the cities, prospered in them and spread. This
is important. All later races, to survive, had to be able to
successfully hybridize with this Sumerian base and many standards
are defined by this fact. No matter how good they might be,
a metric part is not going to fit on a Ford. Another point to
mention is that cars do not fight, but humans do. This makes it
superficially hard to describe where the aggressive races fit
into the car. The effect of the assimilation of the aggressive
races was not superficial though, they greatly enhanced the
intelligence, tenacity and beauty of the Sumerian races.
When the Sumerians met the Semites, they acquired bumpers,
but more critically would be that the Semitic potentials for
aggressiveness and intelligence could be considered like the
utilization of aluminum in place of cast iron for pistons. In
both cases there was a fundamental change in performance.
The Indo-Europeans (or the red haired proto-Celts) would be
perhaps considered to be a crash bumper most obviously, but more
critically their potentials would have been like a supercharger
or a syncro-mesh transmission added to the drive train. It is the
Indo-Europeans that contributed our democratic or at least non-
family form of government. A fighter can only be ruled by consent.
This description is meant largely to be humorous, but it is
useful the way analogies are. It does describe how humans have
changed so much by hybridization. Further, it describes that
developmental pressures will continue to push humans to be
generalists rather than specialists. As another point, it also
makes one think of how well Asians build cars. There
contributions would be like turbo-chargers, disk brakes and steel
radials. From their perspective the question will be as to what
the occidentals can add to their basic car that is the potentials
of their civil races.
Some physical traits will just not combine well, just based
on physical structure, not necessarily on how the meld with the
base civil races. This would be the basis of many orthodontic
problems. Over time, things would straighten out, It would be
though expected though that most psychological and biochemical
traits could coexist quite easily and be of additive benefit.
Evolution tends to operate quite additively.
Take note. For the sake of simplicity, this paper only
considers the occidental race and avoids mention of other races,
civil and otherwise. The same study will have to be repeated for
all other races. Eventually, with the analysis and understanding
of the genetic form of traits, the question of racial variation
becomes variation of traits since traits will not strictly
follow superficial racial lines of variation. Any astute reader
must consider that if we have come this far on the potentials of
races that are relatively related, what can we do with the
potentials of the races that we have not yet even started to
hybridize with yet. This also points to a problem of Hitler's and
other racial superiority stories. No one race has near what it
will take to survive into the next stable ecology. The superior
race is the potential of the gene pool of the whole human race.
As for master races, there are plenty of races that will fight to
be the masters of all others, but the niche for the rule by
militarists is closing. If you need a master, choose someone of
mild manners.
It is hard to say how many traits a person can carry,
especially if one considers psychological traits. Hybrids can
produce great vigor. At present, the human race is still
basically composed of numerous isolated tribes with specialized
and limited potentials. In the future, humans will have a mix and
combination of the best potentials of the different tribes.
END 4b.
4c. Specialized Nature of Humans
A common feature of any organisms search for food is
specialization or concentration upon one resource at a time out
of many. Bees show a habit of specializing in one type of flower
at a time, usually the most abundant, out of many available.
They shift specialization as the season goes on or as conditions
change, but they still concentrate on one type of flower at a
time. (Eric Von Frisch)
Analysis of the situation shows that this specialization
occurs for efficiency. Since the physical attributes of bees do
not change, it must have to do with limitations on the bees'
behavioral pattern. They do not adjust fast enough to be
efficient at the variety of flower and they determine which
specie is most productive at any time.
The tendency toward specialization of resource or food
selection and the environmental conditions promoting it are
observable in most organisms that are not genetically specialized
anyway. Besides, variety other than for nutritional purposes is
probably more important to humans than any other organism. Also,
variety is only important when hunger is no problem.
It is notable that hunter-gatherer humans were extremely
generalist as far as the variety of what they ate. If it was not
poisonous they ate just about everything that had any more
nutrition content than cellulose. That is a niche specific
feature of the specie.
The hunter-gatherer humans often went food collecting with
particular objectives or locations in mind, but they were
opportunistic and intelligent enough to exploit anything
encountered. The greatest factors for dietary discrimination in
hunter-gatherer humans would have been palatability. Obviously
that would be influenced by hunger.
Humans are highly variable generalists, but we very often
operate as specialists. One group of humans may subsist on a
resource that is non-existent for another group. The human race
is a generalist species that exploits just about anything that is
available. Yet individuals, groups and tribes of humans tend to
be rather specialized. This was especially true from the time of
the first neolithic farmers when boundaries became very sharp
between agriculturists, pastoralists, paleolithics and different
groups of each. Before that, humans were mostly divided by
environmental or geologic barriers. Each tribe that took up the
new niche offered by plant or animal husbandry became specialized
to that domesticated crop. Eventually they added others, but
humans still always act as specialists as to how they get their
resources for living. That is a limitation created by the
limit of the needs of any human and how they can be fulfilled by
the resources of any particular environment. This and chance is
what created the differences between peoples. Since we are
largely alike in physiology, it must be considered that
specialization reflects limitations on both resources and
psychological abilities, both are factors subject to change.
The stratified society was the method found to create a
social structure for a city, that would accommodate different
tribal groups together so that each could effectively provide
their skills useful in a city and enjoy the rewards of living in
the city. The cities of Sumeria had a priestly ruling caste,
scribes, builders, craftsmen, peasants and eventually warriors.
This system grew and spread with the cities. Custom, religion,
law and social pressure was to enforce segregation to perpetuate
the potentials of each occupationally and genetically specialized
component of the society. The law was that son will follow father
in occupation. It is a system that functioned for the
conditions. Conditions have changed. Circumstances are different.
Humans are not as tribal, we are far more hybridized. This means
that the potentials of the children may be quite different than
the parents. Also hybridization has given us increased abilities
including the potentials of relatively advanced science and
technology. These in turn have opened up and demanded new skills
for new occupations and niches. There are reasons that an
individual will be occupationally specialized at any time, but
even that can change.
Before going further, it should be mentioned that after all
is said and done this discussion must be about values, beliefs
and morals. For humans, as opposed to any other organism, beliefs
and techniques are what will determine our survival.
Two questions arise. The first is about hybridization and
the second is about the social consequences. Will we perhaps find
some reason to retain the stratified society or try to develop a
social system that can serve the hybrid with their potentials and
needs. The defeat of Hitler was a statement that kings were no
longer welcome. We were adamant against having a new military
ruling caste and the stratified society it implies. Many
individuals have the potential of more than one of the ancient
occupational castes. Many a craftsman has the potentials of
both warrior and scribe. Most civil people have the potential
for the skills of the farmer.
## We learned patience from our hunting ancestors.##
Because of the complexity of present technology verses
present human learning ability and techniques, most people are
occupationally specialized. The questions in the future will
relate to whether a family tends to be occupationally specialized
or just how specialized an individual might need to be. There
will be a lot of variation as to the requirements of any
occupation, but humans will have much broader skills, without
which there will not be progress in the specialized fields. No
matter how specialized we tend to be, we will also be much more
hybridized and adaptable.
Traits that are possible liabilities or benefits
4d. Behavior is the most important way that humans deal with
their world. Evolution is very conservative and so we retain some
of our behavioral adaptations to previous ecologies. We retain
and develop the ones that we can adapt to serve us in our present
ecology. Unfortunately, some of our ancestral behaviors are
weaknesses, faults or actual liabilities in the present ecology.
These may be from any relevant division that is used when
describing human evolutionary development.
Much of our arm, shoulder, hand and especially visual
development was the focus of evolution when we lived in trees.
High quality, stereo vision is required for accurate landing when
traveling through trees. In all later ecologies, we have used and
depended on our eyes for high volume and high quality
information. In that ecology we developed the lousy sanitation
habits of a tree dwelling specie with no fixed nest or den. We
were relatively hairy. ( Desmond Morris - The Naked Ape ) It
seems unlikely that many evolutionary precursors to the
treedwelling ancestral human species had much use for
aggressiveness, even for reproductive displays. The treedwellers
developed some increased social behavior, including
aggressiveness, but still, timidity was the primary method of
survival * .
############################## CIVIL
We developed the beginnings of farming, perhaps 70,00 years
ago. We developed the beginning of cities, perhaps 13,000 years
ago. Everything has changed around humans, but humans are still
on the first leg of the adaptations to these changes. We are
adapting to the present, using potentials adapted for the past.
A description of these behaviors as present strengths and
weaknesses, from our past, must be carefully understood. Most
features represent useful potentials. Some present potentials may
be both strength and weakness, depending on knowledge and
circumstance (ecology). Some present definite hazards. Even
hazards, with knowledge to compensate for them or not, represent
potentially important variation. To protect variation it would be
best to compensate for most behavioral weaknesses by addition of
controlling potentials or knowledge, rather than deletion of the
hazard. Humans can be more wasteful of genetic space than nature.
Eventually, our wisdom may be enough to give some accurate
evaluation of potentials, but it is a mathematical and chance
game of a proportion that will be long in understanding, let
alone any real mastery. Many times in the future, claims of the
mastery of understanding of genetics will be an illusion. At
present, we must operate from a caution based on limited
knowledge.
There are three potentials inherited from our ancestors that
it will serve to mention at this point, as hazards. The first two
are rather simple and clear, but still important and
illustrative. The third has much broader consequence to be
discussed further on.
The first is the simple example of sanitation. It is the
first lesson taught to a child and is of great importance to the
high density living of cities. Our instincts are very unsanitary.
Only compensation by teaching, sometimes social knowledge,
sometimes religious ritual prescription, prevents us from
drowning in our own biological wastes and diseases.
Modern humans must rely on great fore thought and long term
planning. It is a strength that was developed by the demands of
agriculture and animal husbandry. Still we inherit earlier traits
of wanderlust, hunting, aggressive reproductive behavior
(especially when young, later this could include polygyny),
timidity and other behaviors that could be hazards in the present
and later ecologies. Simple knowledge of the existence and
meaning of these instincts, drives, desires, could prevent them
from becoming hazards. There many situations where simple
mistakes of great consequence can be prevented by a little bit of
knowledge. We need to develop an operators manual for humans.
The final description was developed from observation,
reading and a lot of thought. I have the potential for this
behavior. It seems to have great importance at many levels. It is
more than just the enjoyment and stimulation of the hunt that has
been inherited from our neolithic ancestors. It is a tendency of
most who hunt, harvest any wild crop or otherwise operate in the
mode of neolithic behaviors. I understood this by examining
timber harvesting practices. The hunter thinks of hunting first,
conservation second, if at all. This tendency has driven most
large animals on earth, to extinction. This behavior includes
no instinctive limiter that says when to stop. It just says go.
The more to hunt, the greater the take, the more happiness and
stories to tell. Obviously this is important when considering
both environmental preservation and optimum utilization of wild
crops. More importantly, it relates to other modern habits that
are features of the city ecology. This will be a critical
discussion through the presentation of this book because it
produces so much potential hazard in features of the city
ecology. It is our tendency towards excess and is why kinetic
values can present so much potential danger.
Only through extensive knowledge and carefully developed
policies will humans be able to develop a comfortable new
ecology. That includes genetic policies as well as many other
institution. The logical conclusion of the potentials of
artificial selection is a post tribal society that acts as a
community. The individuals of the society would be healthy,
intelligent, beautiful and not prone to physical or psychological
malady. They would tend to die of "old age" rather than heart
failure, cancer, liver failure or some other specific organ
failure. They would retain their mental health into age. With the
genetic potentials of the present human gene pool, we can become
much healthier than we are now. This is only part of the
description of our potential genetic future. Our genetic future
will determine much of our social future, but genetics by itself,
is worth consideration. By itself, genetics can offer a view of
incredible potential for human society.
This is written not only in the context of technology and
artificial selection, but it is also limited to workable survival
strategies. There is a moral basis to all societies. The basic
tenant of any society must be child raising or the society does
not survive. There seems no point to talking about dead ends
except as hazards to be avoided. Human destiny is going to be
shaped by human desire and decision. Also, human destiny must
include some happiness or it will hardly seem worth it.