Not the way I thought you meant with the title but the natural selection of humans is changing; massively.
Let me give you a quick and easy example right now as I type this I'm wearing glasses, my vision is absolutely terrible. Because of said awful vision if we didn't have the technology to create it or a society to support me I wouldn't be able to gain resources for myself and further reproduce. However; I'm still athletic and decently intelligent. These two characteristics are quickly becoming what it takes to survive in modern society due to advances in technology which gives me the advantage over someone who may have perfect eyesight.
Basically the preferential traits for "survival" in the human race are changing so our evolution is as well.
As a side note the intellectual community is reproducing less and if this trend continues for the next 200 or so years we may see a decline in intelligence of the general populace.
As a side note the intellectual community is reproducing less and if this trend continues for the next 200 or so years we may see a decline in intelligence of the general populace.
Then that movie Idiocracy will be real! Ah!
Now, we're all smart. Hopefully we all can find ways around the worlds current problems, or at least help.
As for the thread, technology is not de-evolution. De-evolution doesn't actually exist. But, it is a step back for our physicality. Now we no longer need to reproduce 30 times, only once or twice. Way back when we didn't know about medicine etc., we reproduced like turtles, hoping some would survive, knowing most wouldn't. Now we know that 99% of us will survive, and the only causes of death are very unfortunate freak accidents like catching some nasty new disease or getting shot in the face by someone at school. Those are our de-evolutions.
I'd say that rather than 'devolving' the path of our Evolution is simply changing. We now have longer lifespans and are more intelligent as a species than we have ever been before. Because of this, we can afford to concentrate on making technologies that make life easier for us physically. Although we do still require the mental capacities.
We're actually evolving more. For example, humans have evolved so that the thumb is not the most useful finger, not the index. This trait only exists in younger people.(Like 30 and younger or something similar) This happened because of things such as videogames and cellphones and whatnot.
Evolution does not mean we get smarter or get bigger/smaller. It just means we change.
On the other hand, it is perfectly plausible to state we are growing weaker (And perhaps dumber) due to technology.
There is no such thing as de-evolution. Dollo's Law of Irreversibility states that evolution is not reversible.
Lol, I like the guy with the machine in his hand.
I don't believe people are getting dumber every generation due to technology: Sure, laziness is increasing (Need citations for that though), but education and real life brings out the maximum intelligence of people (If they do it correctly). Technology is created by people who have an idea (Or build on one) and do something.
Is the increasing use of technology causing us to lose our physical and/or mental capacities, since we no longer have to do as much work?
No. That and there really is no "de" evolution. It's all going forward.
Back then, people married for those that were strong and successful. Nowadays when our lives are basically handed to us, what do we marry for? Looks? Yeah, pretty much that. Back then, divorces were frowned upon, but now, over half of marriages end in divorce. So yeah, in a way, you could say that there is a some sort of pathway of evolution taking place. You could say that we are getting sexier, since we now marry to one, those that are successful, and two, those that are able to satisfy our desires.
Are we losing our intelligence? no-no-no-no-no-no-no...The entirety of mankind isn't going all on one pathway. Some of us mate with more-intelligent individuals, others not. You understand why some people in different areas are....different, right?
You can thank the government for this. And morals. And technology.
