Evolutionary theory

The normally esoteric and quietly tinkering world of evolutionary theory has been subverted to justify the capitalist way. The argument goes that the 'strongest survive' and that this is good - after all, isn't that what Darwin says got us where we are today? Right at the top of the heap. Gives us a license to exploit the 'weak, the stupid, the infirm, and the environment'. Evolutionary theory supports the 1% as evidently being the strongest and that is how it should be, right? Fit, as in survival of the fittest, does not mean strong, it means appropriate.

Wrong. Evolutionary theory says that it is the organism who is best adapted to the current environment who will produce the most offspring and so will propogate its genetic material. Failing to reproduce successfully itself, it will seek to advance the cause of its nearest genetic relative. Throw in a few 'laws' about mating with those too close and you have the principles of evolution. Note the emphasis on reproduction. If you consider modern society, the Darwinian events are happening at the opposite end of the monetary value scale. This is where Evolutionary Theory is working - on the margins of what we call society where the 'strongest' consider themselves to be. Ironic, isn't it? The solution to the next environmental change (perhaps a new pathogen - remember, they are evolving too) lies not in the 1% wo are rich and 'successful' but in the 99% who are neither. Truly, the meek shall inherit the Earth.

Regretably, there might not be much left of the Earth by the time the meek get to their 15 minutes of fame.

Don't forget either, if you are talking biology, population dynamics. There is a little known experience that a colony of mice, given a safe environment and adequate food, will expand to a maximum sustainable population. The point where the incoming food is just enough to support that number of mice. What happens next is unexpected. The population goes into a terminal decline and the colony dies. In one sense, this may be explained by a gradual merging of genes to the point where all the mice are practically identical and so they cease to reproduce succesfully. Xenophobes beware, this is your fate.

Biology and the forces driving development are blind. They do not replace religion as the engine driving humans to the top of the heap. Ultimately, we are just suppliers of an ecosystem for other biology and we can disappear as easily as we arrived. Biology will continue (even if in the form of cockroaches) no matter what happens to us, we are not inherently special. Just ask the dinosaurs, I bet they felt pretty good about themselves for a while.

It is not all bleak - knowing this, our best chance of survival is to maintain as wide a gene pool as possible and find ways to live within the capacity of the ecosytem to sustain our population. In other words, don't rape our world and make friends with your neighbours. Hubris is our biggest enemy.